Keiko's Revenge
by Bradybunch4529
Summary: COMPLETE! Keiko overhears a conversation that causes her to make a change. YusukeKeiko BotanKurama hints of others at this point in time.
1. Revelations

**_Title:_**Keiko's Revenge

**_Author:_**Bradybunch4529

**_Summary: _**Keiko overhears a conversation between the gang that causes her to leave everything behind.

**_Disclaimers:_** Yu Yu Hakusho and everything related is not mine.

**_Rating: _**PG-13

**_Pairings: _** Keiko/Yusuke Botan/Koenma Kurama/OC

Keiko Yukimura knew it was going to be a bad day. She clutched her book bag and Puu tighter to her as she ran towards school. Her light brown hair was in disarray around her face, her uniform was rumpled and slightly askew. Keiko's alarm had not gone off this morning and she only had 10 minutes to get to school when she had finally woke up. Keiko glance again at her watch and almost shrieked when she saw she was down to only 2 minutes. She picked up the pace and cut down an alley, determined to be on time.

Puu hooted a greeting from his position in her arms as Keiko finally hit the end of the alley and onto the street in front of the school. Keiko looked across the street and saw Yusuke and the rest of the gang at the gate. She smiled at the sight of her childhood friend. His black hair was slicked back, his arms folded behind his head and his normal green uniform. Puu's greeting was lost in the noise of the other kids and of the traffic and for the moment the team was oblivious to her arrival. Keiko raised her hand and began to call out a greeting when the gang suddenly turned away from the gate and she began to hear their conversation.

"So we're agreed," Yusuke stated as he looked over at Botan. "We're going to get rid of Keiko."

"You bet," Botan agreed and smiled as she tucked her hand into his arm. "I don't think it would be too much of problem, with you graduating from high school and her getting ready to start college."

"Much easier," Kurama agreed as he drew along side of them. "Keiko's is very big on her studying, correct Yusuke?"

"Studying is everything to Keiko," Yusuke agreed as he smiled down at Botan. "It will be nice to lose Miss Busy Body."

The rest of the conversation was lost in the sounds of traffic but Keiko didn't pay any attention to the noise around her. She stood motionlessly on the sidewalk, her deep brown eyes wide and dull with shock. Their words looped continuously in her mind as she stood there. The gang disappeared down the street, their words fading away to nothing as Keiko looked down at Puu. A lone tear slid down her cheek to fall onto Puu's beak. Puu hooted softly up at her, his big brown eyes staring up at her sympathetically. His face a study in misery as he tried to snuggle closer, his soft hooting a comfort as his ears wrapped around her arms.

Keiko pulled Puu closer to her and wiped the tear from his beak. "Is that really what they think Puu?" She asked him as she turned away from the school. "Am I such a bother that they are plotting to get rid of me?" Puu only hooted softly at her and snuggled closer to her. As Keiko slowly walked back home, a plan began to form in her mind. It was the last day of school anyway and she didn't have to be present at her graduation ceremony to get her diploma. She had recently got an offer from Harvard to come study there. When she had first received the offer, she had dismissed the possibility. Yusuke was here and they had already been separated too many times.

Now that Keiko knew the gang was tired of her hanging around, she no longer had a reason to stay in Japan. Keiko looked up at the sun shining brightly in the clear blue sky and made her decision. It wouldn't take that long to fill out the forms and get accepted. In just under a week, she would be gone. Her arms tightened around Puu and a determined look crossed her face. She could fool them for a week. They would never know anything was wrong, especially if she was just too busy. A sadistic smile crossed her face. Let the games begin, Keiko thought to herself as she entered her house.

Keiko quickly filled out the forms and expressed mailed them. She then placed a call to Harvard University and received confirmation from them that her spot was on hold and they would await her records. Next she returned to the school and talked to her principal and informed him of the change of plans. The principal looked at her oddly, but Keiko didn't notice. She had no way of knowing that her decision had begun to change her.

Keiko's warm, open brown eyes were now cold and closed. The smile that normally graced her features was gone and was replaced with a blankness that sent chills up and down the Principals' spine. He wondered what had happened to make her change so radically since she had left yesterday. For the first time he began to understand why Uremeshi listened to this girl. There was a hidden strength to her that spoke of her determination to never break. As he finished agreeing to everything and signing the necessary forms, he watched Keiko walk out the door, taking in the grace and poise she hadn't had yesterday. As she disappeared from his view, he heard the secretary call and greeting and for the first time, he didn't hear an answer. A sad expression crossed his face as he realized that something precious had died within Keiko.

Keiko moved quickly now that everything was in motion. A quick call to the airport had her flight scheduled and luckily enough she had just renewed her passport. Puu hooted softly from his position on her desk as she began to sort everything. A suitcase was dragged out and placed on the bed. Keiko looked over at Puu and smiled softly at him, for the first time since that morning her eyes softened. She held out her arms and he flew over to her and snuggled into her embrace. She rubbed her cheek against the hair on his head and closed her eyes.

"I'm going to miss you, Puu," she whispered to him. "You have to stay here with Yusuke and make sure that he is protected for me." Keiko placed a kiss on top of Puu's head, "Please Puu?"

Puu hooted an agreement and allowed her to place him on her bed. He watched with sadness in his dark eyes as she continued her packing. The blank expression returning to her face as one suitcase was filled and she moved onto the next one. For the next couple of hours, Puu was the only witness to Keiko's packing.

It was just past 4:00 when Yusuke and the rest of the gang finished with the quick assignment. They were walking home when a loud voice was heard behind them.

"Hey Uremeshi!!!" Kuwabara yelled as he raced down the street towards them.

"Look it's the idiot," Hiei stated and stepped out of Kuwabara's way as he tripped on his own two feet and fell face first onto the concrete.

"Jeez, Kuwabara," Yusuke chided as he bent down to look at his friend, "haven't you learned how to walk yet?"

"Stuff it Uremeshi!" Kuwabara yelled up at him as he braced himself on his hands. "I was in a hurry." He defended huffily as he made it back to his feet.

"Why?" Kurama asked as Kuwabara brushed at the dirt and dust on his clothing.

"It's about Keiko," Kuwabara explained.

"What about Keiko?" Yusuke growled as he grabbed Kuwabara's collar.

"She wasn't in school today," Kuwabara explained as he tried to pry Yusukes' hands off his collar. "Word around school is she went in for a meeting with the principal midmorning and then left immediately afterwards." Kuwabara finally managed to break Yusuke's hold and tumbled backwards.

"That doesn't sound like Keiko," Yusuke said as he gazed off into the distance. He couldn't help but worry about her. She was the one thing that kept him sane, that was why they were plotting a way to make sure she stayed behind on this latest mission. He couldn't take the chance that she might get hurt.

"You are quite correct," Kurama stated as he glanced over a Hiei and received a quick nod of his head. "Perhaps we should try and find her?" Kurama asked as he looked back at Yusuke.

"Definitely," Yusuke agreed as he ran a hand through his hair and frowned. "Of course, it would help if we knew where to start," he mused as he pulled at his lip.

"Why don't try her house first Yusuke?" Botan tossed in as she leaned around him to look at the rest of the group, her blue hair bouncing cheerfully around her face as she did so.

"Might as well," Yusuke mused as he began to walk towards the Yukimara's shop. His thoughts were chaotic and he didn't seem to notice anything around him. Why would Keiko skip school? Even on the last day, Keiko was always at school, cleaning and organizing. And he knew for the fact that Keiko was supposed to make a speech and that several of the teachers wanted a chance to speak with her about it.

Sometimes it amazed him that they had managed to stay friends for so long. He could still remember meeting her when he was 2 and looking into her big soft brown eyes and knowing that everything he would ever need was there. It had seemed so right at that time, Yusuke had never thought to question the feeling. Yusuke couldn't help but smile at the memory. Nothing had changed since; she was still the only thing that mattered. He knew it and she knew it. The fights and the nagging meant nothing at the end of the day because they loved each other.

Which was why he couldn't let her go with him on this next mission. It was too dangerous and he needed to know that she was safe. Now he just needed to come up with a way to convince her of that fact.


	2. Packing and Changes

**_Title:_**Keiko's Revenge

**_Author:_**Bradybunch4529

**_Summary: _**Keiko overhears a conversation between the gang that causes her to leave everything behind.

**_Disclaimers:_** Yu Yu Hakusho and everything related is not mine.

**_Rating: _**PG-13

**_Pairings: _** Keiko/Yusuke Botan/Koenma Kurama/OC

**A/N: **escpthesdw835: My very first reviewer! Kisses and hugs to you for enjoying my story. I was nervous about publishing it, but thanks to you I immediately started writing the next chapter. I love your username, very inventive. To answer your question: Yes, Keiko does make a quick assumption. However, while she's always know that she loves Yusuke, he doesn't show or tell her. Yusuke is always pointing out that she's a liability and shouldn't come along. So, with the separation of high school coming up, she jumps to a conclusion she normally wouldn't. Hopefully I will be able to explain it better in later chapters. :P Hope that answers your questions, or eases your doubts. Review again, please.

Keiko Yukimara leaned back on her heels and brushed a hand across her forehead. A film of sweat was beginning to roll down her face and her clothes were stuck to her. She pulled her dark brown hair off of her neck and waved a hand in her face, trying to cool down. A quick glance at the clock showed that it was just past four. A sigh escaped her as she ran down her mental checklist while glancing around the room. There were boxes and suitcases in a corner and almost everything in the room was packed up.

It had taken her most of the day, but Keiko was sure that she had managed to pack everything needed. Of course there were a few things that she still needed to purchase and perhaps a few wardrobe additions and Keiko would be packed. For an instant, sorrow and longing rose up and her breath hitched, before she managed to force it back down.

When she had filled out her paperwork, she had also registered for classes and gotten the name of her roommate. The school had been kind enough to give Keiko a telephone number, in case she wanted to talk to her for whatever reason. But Keiko was hesitant to do so, simply because she was unsure about her English. Keiko slowly pushed herself upward and moaned as he muscles protested moving. She pressed both hands to her back and arched her back, trying to work the tightness from her muscles.

She had spent too much time on her knees, Keiko decided as she kept stretching her arms and twisting her waist around. After a few moments the pain eased and Keiko headed for her dresser. She pulled it open and took out clean clothes; her hand paused on her instinctive choice before returning it to the closest. Instead, she searched through her dresser and found a pair of tight black jeans and a tight red blouse.

Keiko quickly stripped out of her other clothes and pulled on her new ones. A glance in the mirror showed a person that Keiko didn't know. The jeans nipped in at her waist and clung to her hips and her legs seemed to go on forever. The blouse had a high collar that brushed her chin, the throat open and showing a hint of cleavage. It clung to her breasts and then tucked into her jeans, highlighting her waist. The red color seemed to give her skin a luminescent glow while warming her brown eyes. At the same time, she seemed to be cold and aloof.

Keiko blinked at her image and then shook her head. Obviously, she had worked to hard this afternoon and her mind was starting to wonder. Keiko turned to Puu and held out her arms, "what do you think Puu? Too much?" She smiled at the little blue figure half dozing on her bed. Puu jerked up and blinked his dark eyes at her before hooting a greeting. He flew over to her and snuggled into her embrace still hooting at her. Keiko closed her eyes as she wrapped her arms around him, for a moment everything seemed to still and slow. She knew that Puu cared about her, so how could Yusuke not?

Instead of dwelling on that, Keiko shook the thought away and looked down at Puu. "I need to get my shoes on and then we need to go shopping." Puu hooted at her and flew over to her bed. He perched there while Keiko searched through her room for her new black boots. "Where did I put them?" Keiko mumbled as she crawled around on her hands and knees. She almost shouted in triumph when she finally found them, a quick movement had the black boots pulled on and Keiko was back on her feet.

"Hey, Puu," she called as she held out her arms to him, "I think we need to disguise you in someway." Keiko paused thoughtfully as Puu settled into her arms. "Is there anyway you could change into your bird form, but keep it a little smaller?" Puu hooted and an expression of total concentration crossed his face. In a second, Puu was glowing and his shape began to shift. After a few moments the glow died and Kieko was able to see Puu clearly. He had managed to shift into bird form and keep it a third of the size. Now he looked like an exotic parrot. Keiko nodded in satisfaction and smiled at Puu, "that is perfect Puu." Keiko shifted the bird up to her shoulder and headed for the door.

Keiko headed out of her rooms and down the stairs; she paused at the shop and told her parents that she was shopping for school supplies before walking out the door. The breeze was crisp and teased her senses as she began to walk down the street. The sun was beginning its slow descent downwards, causing shadows to grow on the streets. Keiko paid no attention to the people and conversations around her, seeming oblivious to the glances. Puu rode high on her shoulder, looking at everything, his long tail trailing down her back.

Keiko had no clue the picture she presented as she continued down the street. Her head was held high, her stride confident as she walked down the street, and her eyes seemed to see thing no one else did. Her red shirt seemed to showcase Puu as he stood on her shoulder, the blue a startling contrast to the red. People began to move out of her way and turned to stare after her, mumbling to each other about the picture she made.

Puu hooted softly into Keiko's ear, his body turning towards her and his claw finding purchase in her hair. His head snuggled against her brown hair and Keiko reached up to scratch under his chin. He hooted again into her ear and pressed his head against her cheek. Keiko turned her head in that direction and looked into the startled eyes of Yusuke Uremeshi.

Well that's it. What do you think? Not a lot of action I know, but Keiko's going to do a lot of soul searching in this fic and so is Yusuke.


	3. Reactions

**_Title:_**Keiko's Revenge

**_Author:_**Bradybunch4529

**_Summary: _**Keiko overhears a conversation between the gang that causes her to leave everything behind.

**_Disclaimers:_** Yu Yu Hakusho and everything related is not mine.

**_Rating: _**PG-13

**_Pairings: _** Keiko/Yusuke Botan/Koenma Kurama/OC

**_A/N: _**I am changing things to suit me of course. So slightly AU. At this point Yusuke is not on his way to Makai.

Chapter 3: Reactions 

Yusuke Uremeshi's wide hazel eyes stared into familiar dark brown eyes. His mouth was slackened in shock as he tried to deny what he was seeing. There was no way this was Keiko, Yusuke assured himself. Keiko preferred looser clothing and dresses; she would never be caught in tight black jeans and an even tighter red blouse. And yet, Yusuke knew those eyes and as he continued to stare into them he became aware of a difference. He could no longer see into them, instead there was a wall shielding her inner thoughts. As his brow wrinkled in confusion, he took a step towards her and was knocked down by Kuwabara as he rushed past.

"Keiko," Kuwabara exclaimed as he stared down at her, "you look hot!" He smiled down at her and shook his head in amazement. "Who would have thought that you were hiding this figure? You are definitely a babe!"

Keiko wrenched her eyes from Yusuke's and looked up at the boy next to her. His light eyes were filled with amazement and caring; Keiko couldn't help but smile back at him. Her brown eyes warm and her smile beaming up at him. "Thank you Kuwabara." She replied with a small bow, "it's nice to know that someone thinks I'm pretty."

"Beyond pretty Keiko," Kuwabara assured her. "You are one hot mama."

"Really?" Keiko asked as she fought to keep from laughing. "You do wonders for a girls ego, Kuwabara." She paused for a moment and then smiled at him, "in fact I think that I should thank you for your comment."

"But you've already thanked me," Kuwabara protested as he ran a hair through his spikey orange hair."

Keiko didn't reply, only cupped his face in her hands and pulled his face towards her; she stood on tiptoe and pressed a kiss to his lips. "Thank you."

"No prob…" Kuwabara started to stutter out before he suddenly went flying into store they were standing in front of.

"Stay away from Keiko!" Yusuke yelled as he clamped a hand on her arm.

"Yusuke!" Keiko scolded as she tried to see if Kuwabara was all right. "You didn't have to hit him."

"Yes I did," Yusuke told her as he yanked her around to face him. His hazel eyes were burning brightly with anger and possessiveness. He frowned down at Keiko, unable to understand why she would kiss Kuwabara. Instead he decided to blame the entire mess on Kuwabara and the fact that Keiko was obviously sick. "You're mine and he doesn't need to be noticing that you look good."

"Yusuke Uremeshi," Keiko scolded as she scowled up at him, "who decided that I belonged to you?"

"Well..uh…" Yusuke stuttered for a moment. "It doesn't matter. What matters is that you are obviously sick or you wouldn't be wondering around in those clothes!"

"What's wrong with my clothes?" Keiko asked as she narrowed her eyes at him.

"They're tight and you can see things that no one should see," Yusuke told her as he scowled back at her.

"Show's what things Yusuke?" Keiko questioned softly as she stared into his eyes.

"Things that no one needs to notice," Yusuke told her as he began to pull her down the street.

For a moment Keiko considered continuing the fight, but decided it really wasn't worth the effort. Though she wasn't sure why what she was wearing was so important to him when he was trying to get rid of her. Instead she sighed softly and tried a different track. "Yusuke," she said softly as she tugged on his hand with hers.

"What?" Yusuke barked out as he continued to drag her down the street, glaring at every guy who looked at her.

"Puu and I are going shopping," Keiko told him as she tugged him to a stop and stepped in front of him.

"You need to go home and change," Yusuke insisted stubbornly as he stared into her eyes.

"I've been cleaning and rearranging all day Yusuke," Keiko told him, her voice coaxing. "I'm getting rid of a lot of my clothes because they are getting too tight. This is my last clean outfit that fits Yusuke. I've got nothing to change into." Keiko stared up at Yusuke trying to hide the hurt she felt this morning from his searching eyes.

Yusuke always could read her like a book and she was determined that he wouldn't this time. It would ruin all her plans if Yusuke managed to figure out what was wrong with her. So she did her best to look adoring as she stared up into his hazel eyes. A genuine smile touched her lips as he scratched the back of his head with his free hand. That gesture was so much a part of him that Keiko couldn't help but smile at the boy that she had fallen in love with. In return, his eyes softened and he smiled down at her, his expression rueful and he touched her cheek. Her head tilted into the touch, her eyes drifting closed, trying to memorize this moment.

Yusuke cradled Keiko's face in his hand and felt everything in him still. For the first time since hearing that Keiko hadn't been in school this morning, he could breath again. His tugged her closer and wrapped and arm around her waist, resting his head on hers and breathing in her scent. She always smelled of vanilla and something that was Keiko. As her hands came around his waist and she sighed against his chest, he felt the world right itself. "Sorry Keiko," he whispered as he pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

"It's all right, Yusuke," she replied softly as she rubbed his back.

"Really?"

"Of course," Keiko assured him as she took a step away. "But I really need to get back to my shopping."

"Why don't I go with you," Yusuke offered as he stared at her questioningly. There was something about her tone and in her eyes that he didn't understand.

"I don't need you to go with me," Keiko assured him as she took another step away from him. "You know that you hate shopping and it shouldn't take to long." Keiko smiled up at him and reached up to scratch under Puu's chin.

"But it's almost dark," Yusuke protested as he took a step after her.

"I won't be long Yusuke," Keiko responded, the beginnings of frown on her face.

"You shouldn't be out by yourself," Yusuke continued stubbornly, his eyes narrowed on her face.

"What gives you the right to decide that?" Keiko asked as she glared up at his face. Her brown eyes remained locked on his.

"You are just a girl.." Yusuke started before Keiko's fist shot up and slammed into his face.

Yusuke went flying across the street and slammed into the building. He raised a hand to his sore cheek and mentally cursed himself. He shook his head to clear it and stared down the street after Keiko. The crowd was parting and she was stalking down the street, her hands clenching and unclenching.

"Uremeshi," Hiei looked over at him. "It amazes me that you win against demons when that female continues to beat you."

"Shut up Hiei," Yusuke muttered as he made his way out of the rubble of the wall. "I really don't want to hear from you right now."

"Hn." Hiei replied, his eyes fixed on Keiko's figure as she disappeared around the corner. A quick glance at Kurama had him heading after her, moving quickly to keep up.

"I do believe that you should not have upset her again," Kurama offered as Yusuke stood beside him and stared after Keiko.

"She takes things too seriously," Yusuke complained as he brushed at this clothing. "Besides there something going on with her."

"But what could it be?" Kurama asked as he stared at his friend.

"I don't know." Yusuke shrugged and started down the street.

"Where are you going?" Kurama asked.

"Where else?" Yusuke tossed over his shoulder as he continued down the street, "after Keiko."

Kurama stared after the boy walking down the street. Yusuke's shoulders were hunched and his hand stuffed deep into his pockets. The cocky attitude was gone for once as he moved through the crowd. The redheads green eyes narrowed worriedly as Yusuke disappeared around the corner.

"I don't like this," Botan spoke softly from beside Kurama.

"Neither do I," Kurama replied as he too began to follow his friend.

"I don't know what Yusuke would do if something was wrong with Keiko," Botan continued as she moved to keep up with Kurama. Her blue hair moved gently in the breeze as she looked over at the redhead.

Kurama looked down into Botan's eyes and tried to find something to say that would assure the grim reaper. Unfortunately, he could find nothing that would ease her fears. He was very much afraid that something had caused Keiko to doubt Yusuke's feelings. And whatever had done that was something so strong that Keiko wasn't attempting to hold Yusuke to her anymore. For as long as he could remember, the girl had been at the center of Yusuke's life. If she were to leave or if anything happened to her, Kurama was very much afraid that they would loose Yusuke. For now he could only hope that when Hiei caught up with her, he could get answers.

**A/N: **Another chapter done. More interaction between Yusuke and Keiko and a little more action. Let me know what you think. Next chapter should be up in a week.


	4. Fight

**_Title:_**Keiko's Revenge

**_Author:_**Bradybunch4529

**_Summary: _**Keiko overhears a conversation between the gang that causes her to leave everything behind.

**_Disclaimers:_** Yu Yu Hakusho and everything related is not mine.

**_Rating: _**PG-13

**_Pairings: _** Keiko/Yusuke Botan/Koenma Kurama/OC

**_A/N: _**I am changing things to suit me of course. So slightly AU. At this point Yusuke is not on his way to Makai.

**Reviewers:**

**Spede: **I know that her reactions are over the top, but I wanted a coming of age story. So I decided to go extreme with Keiko's doubts. Chapter two was a bit odd, but I wanted something that showed the changes she was going through. Thanks so much for reviewing.

**Danamare: **Bird form happens in the Chapter Black saga that was just releashed on DVD. Lots of changes going on there, especially with Yusuke!! We all know that Puu would do anything for Keiko and she manages to convince him to keep it small. And you are right; it's going to be hard for Yusuke to convince her. You're great for taking the time to review.

**Escptheshdw835:** Thanks for the vote of confidence. You're reviews always make me smile. Keiko doesn't realize she's changing; she's too busy trying to hide her feelings. This chapter showcases that change, so tell me what you think. Thanks loads.

Chapter 4: Conversations

_What am I supposed to do, _Hiei wondered as he stared down at Uremeshi's girlfriend. It had only taken him a couple moments to catch up to her and now he found himself unsure what to do. _I should just walk away,_ Hiei thought as he watched her exit another store. _Why should I care if Uremeshi is having problems,_ he reflected darkly as Keiko dogged around a group of people standing on the sidewalk and continued on her way.

Deep down Hiei knew that he could not leave Keiko unguarded. Yusuke had accepted him despite being a demon and Keiko had done the same. An unkind word had never passed her lips about Hiei. More than that, Keiko had accepted his sister and had been Yukina's first friend. So still grumbling to himself, Hiei continued to shadow Keiko as the sun disappeared and she continued on her errands.

As Hiei watched, Keiko dodged another group of guys on a street corner and made her way slowly back to her house. Hiei's eyes narrowed on the group as several of the guys nudged each other and then started after her. He caught a flash of silver in the streetlight and bit back a curse as he spotted the blade that one of the men was carrying. He shook his head and moved to intercept them. Hiei really didn't want to deal with Keiko but he couldn't let her get hurt while he watched. Even as Hiei began to move, one of the guys had caught Keiko's arm and was pulling her around to face him.

Keiko let the bags swing against her legs as she continued down the street. She had finished most of the shopping she had wanted to accomplish tonight. Her brown eyes were pensive as she dodged around a group of people. She couldn't believe that Yusuke was still trying to control her. Not so long ago, the thought that Yusuke was that possesive would have warmed her. Now it just made her wonder if it was habit or Yusuke pretending to care.

She stifled a snort and fought back tears. It was obvious that he didn't care; he hadn't even bothered to come after her. Normally he would be dogging her heels and trying to explain. It had been almost two hours and there wasn't even a glimpse of him. Keiko tried to convince herself that she didn't care, but as Puu hooted softly into her ear, she knew that she lied. She took comfort in the way Puu nuzzled her cheek with his beak. A smile warmed her features and she rubbed her cheek against Puu's, basking in the knowledge that Puu loved her. Keiko's steps quickened as she realized she was almost home. As she was turning onto her street, she felt her arm grabbed and she was pulled around roughly.

Without thinking Keiko brought her bag up and hit the person holding onto her, using the momentum of the pull against him. It connected with a resounding smack and the guy was sent flying. Keiko's breath caught in her throat when she realized that there were at least 10 guys surrounding her. The guy she had knocked into the wall was being helped to his feet and the rest of the guys were glaring at her.

"Now that wasn't nice little lady," a voice drawled.

Keiko stared at the man walking towards her. Puu was hissing slightly from his position on her shoulder with every step the man took, his wings outstretched and his neck craning forward. Her eyes widened slightly at the scar running from his left eye across to his right cheek. His hair was unkempt and straggling around his face, the knife in his hand caused her breath to catch in her throat. Keiko was tempted to run screaming in the opposite direction but knew that if she took a step they would be on her. So she took a deep breath and kept her brown eyes locked on his.

"You shouldn't be doing that to a guy," he told her as he bent down to look into her eyes. "A pretty thing like you should be gentle and waiting for the right guy to come along." He brought the knife up and ran it along her cheek.

"You shouldn't grab ladies," Keiko replied as she stared into his eyes, his breath warming her face, as he came closer. She refused to back down or flinch from the blade still tracing her cheek. This punk was no different than the ones Yusuke beat down on a regular basis and she wasn't about to give them the satisfaction of knowing she was scared. "Last time I checked, a real man would protect a lady and make sure that she was never in this position." Her voice was cold and insulting and her gaze unflinching.

"Why you little," the man started as he grabbed Keiko's arm with one hand and drew the other back to hit her.

Keiko didn't even think about it as she brought her foot up and kicked him between the legs. As she did that Puu struck at the man's face with his beak. The man screamed as Puu's beak sank deep into the flesh on the bridge of his nose. He jerked backwards and blood gushed down his face and Keiko took a step back, dropping her bags and preparing to fight. The men were closing in on her and from their expressions she knew they weren't going to be satisfied with just slapping her around.

Keiko reacted as one of the guys struck out at her. She ducked, her brown hair brushing against the man's fist, and swept her foot against his legs. In a second he had crashed into the two guys coming up from behind her. As she straightened Puu screeched a challenge at the group and pushed himself off of her shoulder and flew at them. Several members of the group ducked and shielded their faces with their arms. Keiko felt an arm wrap around her neck and was pulled back against one of the guys, her air blocked as the arm pressed against her windpipe.

Her hands wrapped around the arm chocking her and slammed her heel down on the guys' foot. He yelped and she found herself free, she spun around and slammed her fist into his face. He went down like a ton of bricks, his nose spewing blood down his chin. Keiko flinched at the thought of what she was doing and tried to ignore the fact that she had blood spattered on her clothes and fist.

Keiko was starting to get worried. She hadn't been a brawl since elementary school when those boys had jumped Yusuke. As she ducked another punch and took a boot to the stomach, she knew that she was outclassed. Her knees buckled and she collapsed to the ground, trying to drag air into lungs that were stunned. One arm wrapped around her stomach as she tried to push the pain out of her mind, the other was braced on the ground and she lifted her head.

Even as she struggled to do that, another fist caught her in the face and her head snapped around. As the blow knocked her sideways, a boot slammed into her ribs. Keiko's breath caught and she bit her lips to bite back a scream. She wasn't going to give them the satisfaction. She managed to make it to her knees, her head hanging limply down. The laughter and the taunting was a distant echo in her ears as she forced her head up.

Her brown eyes met dark brown eyes glinting in satisfaction. Blood was still dripping down his face and Keiko couldn't help but laugh at the sight. His eyes darkened with rage and his hand buried itself in her hair and yanked her head backwards. Keiko's laughter died as pain ripped through her head, her neck was yanked backwards and the man stared down at her. Keiko felt a frisson of unease trickle down her spine as he smiled at her. There was nothing warm about that smile; it was the smile of a predator about to kill his prey.

Keiko's breath caught in her throat as his other hand came into view. The blade glinted wickedly in the street lamp and Keiko's eyes were fixed on it as it made its way slowly upward. In that instant, Keiko realized that she was going to die. There would be no Yusuke to sweep in and save her. Keiko had managed to hold on and fight because she had believed that Yusuke would come. As she stared up at the knife, Keiko knew that she had hoped in vain.

For an instant the knife hung in the air and Keiko could do nothing more than watch. The sounds the gang was making faded to the background. Everything seemed to slow as the knife began its downward trek. And then it was stopped. A hand had come out of nowhere and wrapped around the guy's wrist.

Keiko's breath rushed out of her and her eyes closed in relief. Yusuke had come after all. The grip on her hair was gone and she collapsed forward, holding herself upright with her hands. The sound of the fight was a distant memory and she couldn't pay attention to it. Distantly, as if at the end of a long tunnel, she heard screams and the sound of bodies hitting the ground around her. Puu screamed and shrieked in the air above them, his voce shrill in the silence of dusk. Keiko finally managed to get to her face and turned to face her rescuer.

"Yusuke…" she stared only to trail off as she caught sight of her rescuer. The black hair spiked with white and the small figure in the middle of the fight wasn't Yusuke. "Hiei?" Her voice was incredulous as she stared at the fire demon. As Hiei dodged another blow and knocked the guy into the building, Keiko couldn't believe her eyes. Of everyone she had believed would come to her rescue Hiei hadn't even made the list. Keiko couldn't help but stare as one by one the gang fell before him. Keiko caught a flash of light and cried out a warning. Even as Hiei spun away from the blade, he was drawing his sword.

For a moment everything was suspended as Hiei brought his blade around, determined to kill the human who had dared to try and cut him. The blade came to a halt suddenly; Hiei stared at the hands holding the blade. Even as he watched, blood began to well up and drip steadily to the ground. Hiei slowly raised his eye from the hands and met Keiko's brown eye. There were tears shimmering in the brown depths and a sympathy so deep it almost brought Hiei too his knees. His eyes narrowed in confusion as Keiko slowly shook her head at him, never letting go of the blade.

"No Hiei," Keiko told him gently. "You can not throw everything away for a punk."

"What?" Hiei's eyes narrowed as he tried to come to grips with what she was saying.

"You've come to far and done too much to redeem yourself, to commit a murder."

"You know nothing," Hiei hissed as he pulled the blade away.

"I know that you love your sister," Keiko told him as she watched him wipe the blade and sheath the sword. "And if you don't want Yukina to know, think of how she would feel when it came out."

Hiei's head snapped up and he glared at Keiko. His fingers tightened into fists as he contemplated this new complication. He didn't like the feelings that were rushing through him as she continued to ignore her wounds and met his gaze. The caring and acceptance he could see in her eyes was battering against his walls. "I don't know what you are talking about."

Keiko sighed and finally glanced away from Hiei. She was too tired to try and deal with Hiei. He wasn't Yusuke and he wasn't the type who would welcome her interference. Instead, she looked down at her hands and took in the deep gashes across both palms. Keiko continued to watch unconcernedly as the blood ran down her arms and onto the ground. She couldn't bring herself to care and wondered distantly why she wasn't feeling any pain. Perhaps she should just bleed to death and then she wouldn't have to wonder what she should do now.

A hand wrapped itself around her wrists and a gently tugged at them. Her head came up and looked at Hiei's bent head. He tucked her hand under his arm and wrapped up her palm with a piece of his coat.

"Don't move," Hiei instructed as he pulled the flesh together and began to wrap the strip of cloth around her hand.

Keiko could only stare in disbelief as he did the same to her other hand. Then he was tugging her over to a stoop and urging her to sit down. He ripped another strip from his coat and used it to blot at the blood running down her cheek. She stared up at him in confusion, trying to understand why he would help her. She couldn't see his eyes with his head down and the light behind him. He was all in shadows and for a moment Keiko could do nothing more than watch him.

When he was finished he eased onto the stoop with her and Keiko let her head drop to his shoulder. He tensed under he but made no comment as he stared out into the darkness. Silence stretched between them as Keiko let her eyes close. She sighed and snuggled into his shoulder feeling safe. Normally she didn't feel safe unless Yusuke was with her, and now she had found someone else she could be safe with. With another sigh, Keiko's eyes closed and she fell asleep.

Hiei continued to stare across the street, trying to ignore the girl with her head on his shoulder. He had never let anyone so close before and now he was starting to wonder what it would be like to have someone trust him so much. He was beginning to understand why Yusuke fought so hard to protect her. There was something comforting in the way she immediately accepted everything about you. _Is this why Uremeshi tries so hard to keep you away from the fight?_ Hiei wondered as he felt her fall into sleep.

He knew that he should move away. After all Puu had gone after Uremeshi and she would be fine until he got there. Yet, Hiei couldn't bring himself to move as her breath warmed his neck and her hand rested on his arm. A feeling was welling up inside him and it took Hiei a minute to figure out what it was.

Peace.

A/N: Well that's another chapter. No Yusuke in this one. Don't worry he'll make an appearance soon. I did leave it hanging a bit, didn't I? And we got to see Keiko fight! I hope to have the next chapter out next week.


	5. Pain

**_Title:_**Keiko's Revenge

**_Author:_**Bradybunch4529

**_Summary: _**Keiko overhears a conversation between the gang that causes her to leave everything behind.

**_Disclaimers:_** Yu Yu Hakusho and everything related is not mine.

**_Rating: _**PG-13

**_Pairings: _** Keiko/Yusuke Botan/Koenma Kurama/OC

**_A/N: _**I am changing things to suit me of course. So slightly AU. At this point Yusuke is not on his way to Makai. Hints of Keiko/Hiei friendship

**Reviewers:**

**Donamarine: **Sorry about the spelling. I hope that I got it right now. Bird Form doesn't show up until after Yusuke goes through his own changes. I believe it's the last two episodes of the Chapter Black Saga. So you still have a ways to go. But it's definitely worth it. Thanks for sticking with me. Let me know if I'm going to fluffy or overboard!

**Escptheshdw835:** I always wait for your review! You can always make me smile. I hate when my own computer goes funky, so lots of sympathy from me. Keiko has always been treated way to lightly. She grew up with Yusuke, so she has to know how to take care of herself. She would never just stand back and watch. It was definitely fun to write. I was unsure about her stepping in front of Hiei, but in the end I thought it made a good impression. What do you think? You deserve lots of hugs and kisses for your reviews. Thanks so much. Please review again.

**Animeluv109:**I hope that I got the username right. I think I might have messed it up. Sorry if I did. Anyways, yes it is going to be a Keiko/Yusuke fanfiction. I just wanted a hint of Hiei and Keiko. Don't worry; she's going to take care of it in this chapter. You're right; it was quite unusual to see Keiko stepping in front of Hiei, however she couldn't do anything else. That'll get explained in this chapter too. So stay with me. If you have any other questions or concerns, never hesitate to ask. Thanks so much for your review. Please do so again.

**Kuramalover21:** Botan and Kurama are a great pair! I really enjoy them together. Other than Yusuke and Keiko, the other pairs may change. I've already altered the story plot so Botan and Kurama may wind up together. That's still up in the air. :P Actually, Hiei never says much about Keiko. He kinda ignores the girls most of the time. So you can never be quite sure what he thinks of Keiko. So I decided to write them this way. Thanks so much for asking. It made me think and go back over the series. Hope you enjoy this chapter. And be sure to tell me what you think!

**Keta Himura: **A new reviewer! How fabulous. Thank you so much for your kind comments. I don't have a beta reader and sometimes I think I go overboard or that the story is stupid. I'm glad that you took the time to read the story. It made me smile. I don't think I'll go more than 10 chapters. But I just write and the gang lets me know what they want to do. Please review again.

Chapter 5: Pain

The first thing that Keiko became aware of was pain. It was all consuming, allowing for no other thought. She didn't try and move; Keiko did nothing but take stock of her condition. Her head was pounding, her hands were throbbing and the rest of her just ached. In that plane between sleep and wakefulness, Keiko couldn't understand why she hurt so much. Keiko struggled to remember what happened and where she might be.

"I think she's waking up," a voice murmured above her.

The sound of the voice had Keiko's eyes popping open. It took a second for her to focus on the sea of faces above her. She tried to sit up and fell back with a moan, her muscles protesting the move. Her stomach rolled as the pain swamped all of her senses. For several seconds she did nothing but concentrate on pulling air into her stunned lungs. When she was able to see again, she almost laughed at the varying expressions on their faces. Instead Keiko took a deep breath and tried to roll over. Six pairs of hands immediately reached out to prevent her from moving again.

"Don't move," Yusuke told her as he glared down at her.

"That's right Keiko," Botan agreed as she moved to fluff the pillow under Keiko's head. "I haven't wantedd to risk healing you until you woke up."

"Where?" Keiko croaked as she looked around the unfamiliar room.

"You're at my house," Kurama told her as he stepped out of Yukina's way.

Yukina crossed in front of Kurama with a bowl of hot water and a washcloth thrown over one arm. She smiled at Keiko as she began to clean away the blood from Keiko's face. Keiko stared up at Yukina and felt guilty at the worry she saw there. Keiko could tell from the redness of her eyes that Yukina had been crying.

"Don't worry Yukina," Keiko assured the girl. "I'm not as bad as I look."

"Yes you are!" Yusuke burst out as he watched Yukina continue to wipe away the blood and grime.

His gut was tightening as the bruising on her face became more evident with every swipe of the washcloth. His blood had run cold when Puu had came out of nowhere, his beak red with blood. His heart had leapt into his throat when he came around that corner and saw her slumped into Hiei. He hadn't taken a breath until Keiko had shifted against Hiei's shoulder. In those first few moments Yusuke didn't have a chance to consider all the bruising or what it meant. The only thing that Yusuke could allow himself to concentrate on was getting Keiko to safety.

But as he watched the bruises forming on her face and the blood beginning to flow again, Yusuke couldn't prevent the rage from flooding him. He didn't know who did it to her, so he struck out at her instead.

"How stupid can you be," Yusuke shouted. He pushed Yukina out of the way and grabbed Keiko. "I told you that a girl shouldn't be out walking alone," he gritted out and began to shake her. Keiko moaned and bit her lip as pain began to swamp her senses.

"There were 12 of them, Keiko." Yusuke gritted his teeth and ignored the tears beginning to roll down her cheeks. "What if Hiei hadn't managed to get there in time?" Yusuke asked. "And then, to top it all off, you step in front of Hiei when he drew his sword."

"Enough, Uremeshi," Hiei ordered as he grabbed Yusuke's arm.

"Let go!" Keiko screamed and yanked herself from his embrace. She lost her balance and fell backwards into the wall. Her head struck the corner of the window ledge and stars exploded across her vision. Her vision began to gray but Keiko bit her lip and slowly pulled herself upright. The room seemed to spin around her and ignoring everyone else she levered herself up to her feet, her hand clutching the window ledge.

"Keiko." Hiei was beside her in a flash, his eyes worried as he stared at her, hand reaching to steady her.

For a moment Keiko was tempted to lean on him. Looking into his dark eyes she could see the beginnings of a crush. She knew if she offered any encouragement Hiei would fall for her. For a second she almost considered it; considered letting him think she had stepped in front of his blade because she loved him. It would be so easy to fall into letting Hiei protect her.

Instead she shook her head at Hiei and moved away. "It's alright Hiei," Keiko voice was warm and caring. "I'm used to dealing with Yusuke's moods. Though it's nice to have a big brother watching out for me." She told him as she pressed a hand to his arm.

"As for stepping in front of Hiei sword," she went on and met Yusuke's light brown eyes. "It wasn't really a conscious decision. It was an impulse." Keiko shrugged and moved towards the window. "I remembered something I overheard once and I knew that if Hiei killed a human, he would be killed. I couldn't let that happen," Keiko paused and looked over her shoulder at Yusuke. "He's important to you. A member of the family."

Keiko looked back out the window, taking in the night sky and the stars twinkling above her. Looking up at the moon and the stars, Keiko wondered if the answers were written there. Unfortunately whatever answers written there remained hidden. She sighed softly and turned around to face the group.

Her brown eyes sought out Yusuke's by habit. For the first time she became aware of the changes within her. Normally the shadows in his eyes would make her want to know what tormented her love. Instead she found that she didn't want to know; everything she could say that she didn't understand was another thing Keiko wouldn't have to struggle to forget. The warmth and worry Keiko saw in Yusuke's hazel eyes used to fill her with a sense of belonging and love. Now she wondered what was behind the warmth and the worry.

Was it just a habit anymore? Did he worry because they grew up together? Was the warmth and love she saw in his gaze for who she was now or for the little girl she used to be? But the biggest difference was the fact that she no longer wanted to wonder. The shadows were Yusuke's business and he would have to learn to deal with them. It was no longer her place to try and understand them and ease his troubles. If it ever had been.

Yusuke watched the emotions chase through Keiko's eyes. He had always been able to see those emotions and understand them. Tonight it was like a screen was between them. He could see the shadows of the emotions but not the actual emotions. For the first time, Yusuke began to really worry. Keiko had been his strength for so long. She made him explain the secrets and the worries he hid from the rest of the world. And now it was like looking at a stranger wearing her face. It was Keiko but at the same time it wasn't. And he didn't know what to do about it.

He didn't know how long they stood there staring out each other. Keiko made no move to come closer and Yusuke just stared. He kept hoping if he looked long enough that he would see his Keiko back in those eyes. Instead, with each second that passed, it was like watching another person being born. Yusuke could no longer see any emotion in her eyes. It was as if her soul was no longer in residence.

His ran his hand through his hair and groaned. "Come on Keiko. Why don't you tell me what's going on? You got into a fight, you're hurt, and you faced down Hiei." Yusuke paused and waited. When she didn't say anything he continued on, "I don't think the two of you have said more than 5 words to each other since we started this mess."

"It doesn't matter anymore Yusuke," Keiko finally sighed and looked away. "If it ever did." She paused and rubbed her hands up and down her arms. She winced slightly at the pain from that action. "I just want to go home and sleep," her voice was tired and defeated as she stared out into the darkness. "Just give me my bags and I'll go."

"Let me heal you first," Botan hurried to offer after glancing at Yusuke. The blue haired ferry girl wasn't always quick on the uptake when it came to human emotions, but she knew that something was off with the two of them. She hurried over to Keiko and placed her hands on Keiko's shoulders. She was surprised when Keiko stiffened under her touch. Keiko's brown eyes narrowed on her face and for a second Botan felt a fissure of hear.

The girl looking at her was not the same girl that had sat through the Dark tournament with her. The girl currently looking at her was acting as if this girl didn't know her or trust her. Botan tried to brush it off, but Keiko never relaxed under her touch. She just nodded and as Botan healed her wounds, kept her gaze fixed firmly on Botan's.

Botan was relieved when she finally was able to let go and step back. She wanted to hide behind someone to avoid that dead gaze. She almost collapsed when Keiko finally looked away. It was worse than dealing with the King.

Keiko finally shifted her gaze from Botan. She didn't want to think about the girl that had taken her place. What did it matter anymore? She sighed softly and looked around the room. She spotted her bags in the corner beside her and reached for them. Only to be stopped as Yusuke grabbed her hands and shook his head.

"I'll get them, Keiko."

"No you won't Yusuke," Keiko told him as she shook off his hands.

"You are not walking home by yourself, Keiko," Yusuke replied as he tried to grab the bags from her.

"You are not walking me home Yusuke," Keiko told him as she twisted away from his grasping hands.

" You are not leaving here without me," he stated determinedly. "The gang that did this to you is still out there and they could be waiting."

"Do you think I'm stupid Yusuke Uremeshi?" Keiko asked as she stabbed her finger into his chest. "I'll have you know that while you were off training with Genkai, I was attacked on a daily basis because I was your 'girl' and you weren't there." Keiko told him as she shoved him backwards. "You even ditched me on the first day you were back."

"I was on a mission!" Yusuke protested weakly; his mind in an uproar over Keiko's revelations.

Keiko said nothing just shook her head and brushed past him. Keiko just couldn't bring herself to care anymore. It wasn't worth it to fight or make Yusuke admit that he was wrong. A soft hooting sound made her look up. Puu landed her shoulder and nuzzled her cheek with his beak. She walked to the window and Puu hopped onto the window ledge. Puu's black eyes gazed into hers for a moment before he flew outside and hovered at the window. In a second a bright light was beginning to encompass Puu. When it finally faded away, Puu was in full bird form. His head was even with the second story window, his beak slightly inside the window.

Keiko rested her hand on his beak and Puu pulled back a bit and ducked his head. Keiko slipped onto the window ledge and swung her legs out. Her feet landed on Puu's head and she eased the rest of the way out of the window. She didn't turn to look back in the window until she was standing on Puu's head. Her eyes met Yusuke's and she almost gave in when she saw the grief and confusion in them. Instead her eyes went to Botan, whose hand rested on Yusuke's arm. A slight wry smile twisted her lips before she looked down at Puu.

He nodded his head and Keiko slid down his neck to his back. With a slight hop, his wings began to beat the air and in seconds they were airborne. Keiko rested her head on Puu's shoulder and let the tears she had been holding back flow. Puu glided through the air, riding the airflow higher into the night sky. Keiko's tears continued to drip onto Puu's feathers; her shoulder shaking with her silent sobs. She wondered when Botan and Yusuke had started to fall for each other. The tightness in her chest got worse when she pictured Botan's hand on his arm.

_Why did it hurt so much? _Keiko asked herself. _Is this what a broken heart feels like?_

A/N: Well here's chapter 5. It didn't work out the way I had planned. And it's much longer than I had thought it would be. But what do you think? Any and all mistakes are my own. So Review and let me know what you think. Thanks so much for your time.


	6. Remembering

**_Title:_**Keiko's Revenge

**_Author:_**Bradybunch4529

**_Summary: _**Keiko overhears a conversation between the gang that causes her to leave everything behind.

**_Disclaimers:_** Yu Yu Hakusho and everything related is not mine.

**_Rating: _**PG-13

**_Pairings:_** Keiko/Yusuke Botan/Koenma Kurama/OC

**_A/N:_**I am changing things to suit me of course. So slightly AU. At this point Yusuke is not on his way to Makai. Hints of Keiko/Hiei friendship

**Reviewers:**

**Donamarine: **Misunderstanding can ruin a relationship. But I'm hoping I manage to make it stronger in the end. It's still going to be awhile before they manage to work it out. There are hints but keep reading; I hope to clear it up this chapter. Thanks for watching out for me; it's very sweet of you. And I'll do the same for you. It's an honor.

**Escptheshdw835:** Thanks so much!! I wasn't sure if it would work out right with Keiko and Hiei. I'm thrilled that you enjoyed it so much. There will be more and more changes with chapter 6. So hang on and let me know what you think.

**Kuramalover21:** It was short this time? I guess I thought it was longer because I kept going back over it. I think chapter 6 will be one of my longest chapters; so I hope you enjoy it. Thanks so much for reviewing!

**Keta Himura: **You came back! Even better. So glad that you liked it! I wasn't sure if I went too overboard or left the emotions hanging. I really wondered if there was enough tension or if I portrayed the scene right. But if you enjoyed it then I know I did something right! Thanks for letting me know and keep reviewing!

**AnnechanB:**Another new reviewer! So glad that you came to visit. I want to thank you so much for your review. I was trying for a coming of age story. Thanks so much (bows several times) for letting me know that you enjoyed it. Please review again.

**Spede: **So good to have you back again. I can always count on you to be honest. Yes there was a hint of Botan and Yusuke but that was Keiko's imagination. I hope that Chapter 6 will finally put the Keiko and Hiei relationship in stone. Let me know if I don't accomplish it. And you are correct; Hiei definitely doesn't normally melt. However, Keiko is an unusual experience for him. He's never really dealt with her or anyone like her before. Keep reviewing. (I need you to keep me on the straight and arrow).

**SilverRainbow223:**Another new one! (Bows deeply) I want to thank you for your compliment. I try to be original but I do like to incorporate other writing styles. Keiko/Yusuke are my favorite couple so I'm only going to focus on those. Though before my next story I'm waiting to finish this one. I want to see how this one goes first. But never fear I have idea for others. Stick with me. Keep reviewing.

Chapter 6: Remembering

The room was silent was silent after Keiko's escape. Everyone avoided looking at Yusuke who stood staring out the window. The only hint of movement was the clenching and unclenching of his fists. The others glanced uneasily at each other; silently wondering who should be the first to approach him. They were still trying to decide when Yusuke suddenly moved.

Hiei just barely managed to dodge the punch to his face. He moved with blinding speed and jumped out the window. Yusuke removed his hand from the wall of Kurama's bedroom and followed Hiei out the window. The anger was beginning to pound its way through his veins. Something was wrong with the woman that he loved and she wouldn't tell him.

Yusuke wasn't even aware of catching up with Hiei. Both of them moving so blindingly fast that they were only blurs. His fist caught Hiei's cheek and Hiei went flying backwards. Yusuke followed Hiei down and managed to get under him. A kick to the back sent Hiei upwards with a grunt. Hiei managed to flip around and caught the next kick and countered with a quick jab to the face.

Yusuke took the blow with out flinching and countered with a knee to the stomach. Hiei blocked the knee and countered with a rapid fire series of blows. For every punch there was a counter and then the two them sprang apart. Blood was beginning to drip from multiple cuts and bruises were forming.

"She's mine Hiei," Yusuke finally said. He glared over at the fire demon, "and you will stay away from her."

"I have no idea what you are talking about Uremeshi," Hiei replied as met Yusuke's hazel gaze calmly. Hiei turned and walked away from Uremeshi without looking back. He tried to ignore the pain that was beginning to make its presence known. It always amazed him how powerful Yusuke became when it came to anything dealing with Keiko. He had to shake his head at the two of them. They had to be the most oblivious pair in the world.

Yusuke watched Hiei walk away into the darkness of the night. He ignored the presence of the rest of the gang. When Botan's hand landed on his shoulder he shrugged it off and stalked away. The fight with Hiei had only managed to wet his appetite and he knew that he could find another brawl if he went looking. Perhaps if he were lucky he would find a couple demons to pound on. The worry and confusion made his heart clench. He absently rubbed at his chest, trying to ignore the pain. He didn't understand what was going on with Keiko. Last night when he went to bed he was secure in the knowledge that Keiko was fine.

Yusuke sighed and looked up at the moon. His hazel eyes pensive and his face drawn with worry. He would never admit it but he always checked on Keiko at night. He needed to know that she was safe before he could sleep. Sometimes he even stayed outside her window watching her sleep before slipping off to his own house.

He made such a big deal about going to school because he needed to know that she still cared. He didn't mind going to school but he needed to see the worry and the fire in her eyes. As long as that fire was still there, as long as she continued to ride him then he knew that there was one person in the world who loved him.

Keiko had always been there for him. Her hand warm and strong around his, her shoulder a place to rest his head and her arms protected him. Yusuke paused at the bridge, his hand resting on the railing, his eyes staring out over the water. He paid no mind to the way the moonbeams danced on the waves. Instead he wondered when Keiko had become so important to him.

Was it the day they first met? Even at that age he had a reputation but Keiko had never shown any fear of him. Or was it the first time he had got into a fight and Keiko had backed him up? Or was it the first time that she had raked him over the coals for doing something stupid? He looked down at his hands and watched them close. His fingers laced together and his elbows rested on the wall.

He propped his chin on his hands and continued staring into the night. The warm breeze ruffled his hair and wrapped the scent of jasmine around him. His eyes drifted closed and he inhaled deeply, jasmine always reminded of Keiko. He had once given her a lotion and body spray because she had mentioned liking the way it smelled. He had brushed it off but her hug and smile had lit up his world.

As he stood in the night, alone except for the shadows in the night, he couldn't help but remember. He had always hated thunderstorms; the lightening and thunder had always made the night seem scarier. Especially when his mom had been gone or on a bender, the night had always pressed in a little harder on him. The first time he had sat huddling in a corner, jumping at every noise and flash of lights. When he had confided in Keiko she had made him promise that next time he would come to her.

After that it had become a habit. The storm would hit and he would make his way to her, crawling through the window. There would be a change of clothes and a towel on the chair for him. It had always made him feel so loved and when he crawled in bed with her, her arms would curl around his shoulders. His fears would disappear and he could sleep, knowing that he was protected.

Yusuke laughed softly. He wondered what the gang would say if they knew that Yusuke could only really rest if Keiko was near. He had been a fighter too long to really rest; Keikos' presence allowed him to relax and sleep. He knew that he was safe and protected when she was near. Yusuke sighed and stared up at the moon. Keiko was everything that he had ever wanted or needed. She had always been right there and now it was if she was only the other side of a cliff.

He needed to talk to her, Yusuke decided and nodded to himself. He would make her tell him what was wrong. He would admit to everything and finally give her the ring he had been carrying around. Yusuke couldn't help but wonder what Keiko would say when she found out that he had bought the ring the moment he came back from the dead. He had needed to let her know that she was the only one for him. The only thing that had stopped him was the fact that to her it was as if nothing had changed.

She was his anchor, his rock, his steadying influence and it seemed as if she was letting go. He couldn't let her do that. Maybe it was selfish of him but he loved her too much to just let her go. It was too late tonight and she had been through too much.

Tomorrow. Tomorrow he would talk to her and nothing could stop him.

Keiko cried into her pillow, her hands clutching it tighter against her. Puu's round body pressed against her side as he hooted softly into her ear. Despite the warmth from his body and the covers Keiko couldn't shake the cold that seemed to permeate her bones. With every second the chill seemed to spread and was slowly beginning to take over her body.

The last time Keiko had hurt this much was when Yusuke had died. She had been convinced that she would never see him again. Instead he had come to her in a dream and told her not to worry. Yusuke had never broken a promise to her and this time had not been any different. There had been a time when she had been convinced that Yusuke was all that she would ever need and it was the same for him.

When had that changed? Was it with his death? Had he seen then that she was no longer a necessary part of his life? Was it after the kiss that had given him back his life? Was it after the dark tournament? Or had the final blow came when he became a demon? Had he decided that she was too weak? Was it possible that she had done something? Where had it all gone wrong?

There were no answers in the night. Only the echo of her own pain and thoughts. Once Yusuke had been the one that she could call. He would calm her fears and soothe her tears away. Without his presence Keiko was lost in a storm of doubt. She had only herself to rely on now.

A new determination filled her. Keiko would have to be stronger. She would have to defend herself and not rely on Yusuke or the rest of the gang for support. In the quiet of the night Keiko said good-bye to her hopes and dreams. It no longer mattered that Genkai had once told her that Yusuke needed her and loved her. What mattered was what she needed. In that moment a new Keiko was born. And this Keiko was colder and harder than before.

Keiko would make her own way in the world. And she would not regret her decision. It was time to discover who Keiko Yukimara was and what she believed in. And to do that she had to cut all ties here. So tomorrow she would tell her parents and arrange for her things to be shipped. There would be no regrets. There would be time later for those.

When an ocean was between her and Yusuke and she no longer had to pretend that nothing had changed.

Botan, Kuwabara, Shizuru, Yukina and Kurama stood in silence after Yusuke and Hiei walked away. They weren't sure what had happened but was convinced that something was very wrong. Keiko was acting strange, Yusuke was a ticking bomb and Hiei wasn't acting like Hiei.

"I don't understand," Yukina said softly as she looked up at Kuwabara. "What's going on?"

"We don't know," Kuwabara said heavily, his arms crossed over his chest. "But I think that Keiko's at the center of it."

"I agree," Kurama stated as he stared after Hiei. "And until we get her to explain why, I'm afraid that we are not going to be able to do much."

"Then we'll just have to make her talk," Shizuru decided as her cigarette smoke drifted upwards. "After all Keiko's not one for keeping secrets."

"I don't know," Botan replied slowly. "Keiko isn't acting normally." Botan waved her hand after the two combatants. "Let's face it, Keiko would never have not let Yusuke walk her home and relying on Hiei…" her voice trailed off and she turned to look at the rest of the gang. "Can you honestly tell me that Keiko and Yusuke have ever fought like that before?"

Silence fell in the group, as each of them was lost in their own thoughts. Flashes of memories of meeting Keiko for the first time assaulted them.

**Flashback**

For Shizuru is was the first time that she had ever met Keiko. Yusuke had been dead then, a spirit hovering over Keiko, doing his best to protect her. The emotions that she had felt between the two of them had been all consuming. Even then it had been apparent that two of them belonged together. Their devotion had been strengthened with each challenge that they had faced.

Keiko was such a prim sort of person. And yet it was obvious that she could and would keep Yusuke in line. The bond between the two youngsters had surprised Shizuru and it had managed to keep her on her toes. Keiko was normally the sweetest, kindest most accepting person in the world unless someone was attacking a friend. Then she became a tiger. Yusuke was the perfect counterpart.

For Kuwabara it was remembering the first time after Yusuke had been him to a pulp. He and his gang had been walking to the soda shop, trying to decide the best way to beat Yusuke. When a commotion had caught their attention at the ramen shop up ahead. There was a girl with her hands on her hips yelling at a boy who was rubbing his toes into the ground and running his hand through his hair. Upon closer examination the gang had realized that the boy was actually Yusuke Uremeshi. They had been so startled that for a minute they didn't believe it. As they got closer they began to hear the conversation.

"Yusuke Uremeshi you are in middle school now," the girl had stated and pointed her finger in his face. "You can not just skip school and get into fights on the first day of school."

"But Keiko," Uremeshi had protested, his voice meek and apologetic. "Those boys jumped me and you know that I have to protect my rep."

The girl had sighed, "even so Yusuke, you know that I worry when you don't come to school."

"I know Keiko," the boy looked at her and smiled, his right hand tucked behind his head. "I'll do better I promise."

The girl had laughed and pulled Yusuke into the shop with her. "Come on, I know you're hungry and you can stay and do your homework with me."

Yusuke had protested even as he allowed the girl to pull him in the shop. Their voices blending together as the door shut behind them. At that moment Kuwabara realized that he had found Yusuke's weakness. And knew that he would never use it. The girl would be under his protection when Yusuke wasn't around. A glance at his gang had shown the same knowledge and Kuwabara nodded and they continued on their way.

For Kurama it was when Hiei had kidnapped her. He hadn't really paid too much attention to her at the time. It wasn't until later, when she knew who and what he was, that Kurama had realized what type of girl she was.

He had been running away from his fan club. It had been Valentines Day and each girl had been determined to give him her chocolate. For him it had been a dreadful day full of polite dodges and slipping around corners. Then on the way home he had seen a familiar figure up ahead of him.

He almost went by her but she had called out, "Kurama?" Her voice had been slightly hesitant and fearful.

He had been tempted to keep walking but simple politeness had forced him to respond. "Yes?"

"Oh good it is you," Keiko had sighed her dark eyes warm as she looked up at him.

"I'm a bit busy," he had started to explain only to stop when her eyes had traveled behind him and widened.

"Goodness," Keiko had whispered.

"As you can see," he had started to explain only to stop when she grabbed his hand.

"This way," Keiko told him as she pulled him along.

"Where are we going?" He had questioned as she led him down alley after alley, almost running as the sound of pursuit came clearer.

"Right here," Keiko said as she pulled Kurama into the back entrance of her parents ramen shop. She pulled him through the kitchen and upstairs into her room. "They'll never find you here and in a couple hours you can go home." Keiko explained as she let go of his hand and placed her bag at her desk.

Kurama had been unsure of what to say. Keiko had never seemed to be of too great of importance except for a weakness. Now he suddenly realized that he had never taken the time to really understand this girl who kept Yusuke on the straight and narrow. For the next couple of hours they had did their homework and Kurama had come to the conclusion that Keiko was Yusuke's strength and without her he wouldn't have anything to fight for.

For Botan it wasn't so much as meeting Keiko. After all with his death, Keiko had been the one that Yusuke worried about the most. He was keeping a constant eye on her. And Botan had always known that Keiko was the most important thing to Yusuke. He worried about her constantly; tried to pretend that he didn't notice when a guy got too close to her.

Perhaps the first true meeting had come when Yusuke had been hiding on the roof after the Hiei incident. Keiko hadn't forgiven Yusuke and he was pouting on the roof. Botan had decided to try and reason with Keiko, after all Keiko was a girl and so was Botan. There had to be a meeting ground somewhere, so Botan had gathered up her courage and caught Keiko during lunch.

"Keiko," Botan had called cheerfully, her hand waving to get Keiko's attention.

"Yes?" Keiko had queried coolly as she looked through Botan.

"Umm, I was wondering if we could talk?" Botan had to fight the urge to shuffle under Keiko's dark brown gaze.

"About?"

"Yusuke," Botan had offered with a hesitant smile.

"What about him?" Keiko had asked carelessly as she settled onto the grass with her lunch.

"There's nothing between us," Botan had hastened to assure her then fumbled to a halt when Keiko had finally met her gaze. The anger and the pain in Keiko's eyes had been enough to make Botan cry.

"I should care why?" Keiko had asked as she bit into her sandwich.

"Umm…" Botan had trailed off as Keiko continued to each her lunch and watch Botan. After a few seconds of silence Botan had finally given up and ran away. Keiko was much scarier than Yusuke. And Botan made the instant decision that Yusuke could get forgiveness on his own. Botan would not be interfering again.

For Yukina it was completely different. From the moment that Yusuke had brought Yukina to Genkai's temple, Keiko had been there every step of the way. Accepting who and what she was. For Yukina Keiko was the first friend that she had ever had. Keiko would often stop by and take Yukina shopping, making sure that she had everything she needed. Keiko had provided a shoulder to cry on and a helping hand.

But what had made the biggest impression on Yukina was the night that she couldn't sleep. Keiko had been staying the night and Yusuke and the rest was out on an assignment. Yukina had heard something and she had slid noiselessly into the hall. At the entryway to the main temple, she had come to a halt at the sight before her.

Keiko was kneeling in front of Yusuke, a rag in her hand and a dish of water by her side. Yusuke was protesting slightly, even as he tilted his head into her hand. Keiko had continued to gently wipe away the blood and scold him.

The look on Yusuke's face as Keiko washed the rag out and rested her hand on his thigh, had almost made Yukina cry. Yusuke's hand had covered Keiko's where it rested on his thigh. Keiko had let her head drop to his shoulder and her other hand had come to wrap around his neck, then linked together than hands that rested on his thigh. Yusuke's head had dropped onto hers and he leaned more comfortably against the wall. Eyes closed and hands united, both of them sighed and relaxed, seconds away from falling asleep, each secure in the others presence. Yukina had withdrawn but the images of the two of them had stayed with her for a very long time.

**End Flashbacks**

"You're right,"Shizuru's voice brought each of them out of their memories. "Keiko isn't acting like she normally does. But the best bet is to get her to talk. So I say we get together tomorrow and get some answers from her."

They had all agreed and then headed into the night, confident in their new plan.

Early the next morning, Keiko was walking down the street. Her hair bounced around her face as the sun began to dissipate the shadows. Her short blue skirt bounced around her thighs and her white blouse was open over a pale blue tank top. Puu perched carefully on her shoulder. His blue and yellow feathers cascading down her back, his head tilted towards hers. A smile graced her face as she made her way to the post office. She had finished packing this morning. All of her boxes were taped and labeled. All that remained was to arrange pick up and get prices.

She climbed the steps into the post office, her white sandals tapping softly on the stone steps. Keiko didn't notice the glances she got from people leaving the post office. She smiled at the man who opened the door for her but didn't really register his presence. She was too concentratedon her task and determined to see it through.

It only took a few moments and then she was back in the sun. As she made her way down the street, she became aware of being watched. Instead of stopping she had continued on her way, it took only a few seconds for her to realize who it was.

"Hello Hiei," she greeted as she paused beneath a tree. There was a whisper of sound and then Hiei was beside her. "Is there a reason that you are following me?" Keiko asked after a few minutes.

Hiei remained silent. His black gaze fixed on something in the distance. He didn't understand why he was following her. He had decided last night to stay away and yet this morning he had been perched on her roof, determined to protect her. The fight with Yusuke had made no sense to him. He didn't love Keiko, but there was something in the way that she had trusted him. It had caused emotions that he didn't understand.

"You know," Keiko's voice brought him out of his thoughts and he turned to meet her gaze. "If you don't want to tell me you don't have to." Keiko met his gaze and smiled at him.

"I…" Hiei's voice trailed off and he found himself lost in her gaze. His hand rose of its own violation. Keiko caught it and shook her head slightly.

"Thank you, Hiei." Keiko smiled at him. "You came to my rescue last night and I am thankful. But we both know it would never work." Keiko paused and shook her head at him. "You simply want someone to take your sisters place. You've never had anyone rely on you before or not fear what you can do, especially not a girl."

Keiko pressed a kiss to his forehead. "It will all be taken care of in a few days," Keiko assured him and took a step back. "So don't worry. Though you might want to finally admit it to Yukina," Keiko scolded gently with a smile on her face. Then she turned and walked away from him.

"Wait," Hiei called after her. "You never explained how you knew about Yukina."

"It wasn't hard Hiei," Keiko tossed over her shoulder. "You are as transparent as glass." Keiko continued down the sidewalk without turning around.

Hiei was left to watch her walk away. There was something about the way she walked and the new confidence that seemed to permeate the air around her. For a moment he felt regret for what might have been before he shrugged and disappeared. Whatever was going on with Keiko wasn't his concern.

She was Yusuke's and always would be.

**A/N: ** Well there's another chapter. Hopefully this one was longer. I want to thank everyone for his or her reviews. I sat down and wrote this in an afternoon after reading all of them. You guys are definitely my inspiration. Once again, this chapter was nothing like I planned and I hope that you liked it. Let me know if you did or if you didn't. If there are any mistakes, they are my own. Bows deeply to the readers, thanks for reading my story.


	7. Leaving

**_Title:_**Keiko's Revenge

**_Author:_**Bradybunch4529

**_Summary: _**Keiko overhears a conversation between the gang that causes her to leave everything behind.

**_Disclaimers:_** Yu Yu Hakusho and everything related is not mine.

**_Rating: _**PG-13

**_Pairings: _** Keiko/Yusuke Botan/Koenma Kurama/OC

**_A/N: _**I am changing things to suit me of course. So slightly AU. At this point Yusuke is not on his way to Makai. Hints of Keiko/Hiei friendship

**Reviewers:**

**Escptheshdw835:** Thank you. I was worried that I left the chapter hanging a bit, especially with the fight. It didn't seem to flow quite right, but if you enjoyed it then it was more than worthwhile. I am hoping to flesh Keiko and Yusuke out a bit more before allowing them to get back together.

**Kuramalover21:**Thank you so much. I don't think that I have ever seen a Botan/Sniper fic. But you could always try a Yu Yu Hakusho search on I know there are multiple sites up and going. Or you could write your own. :P

**Keta Himura: **You are way too sweet and without equal. I want to thank you so much for continuing to keep up with my story. Thank you so much.

**Kawaii: **Another new one. I absolutely love new people. It's great to get multiple opinions. I'm very glad that you enjoyed the story. It's been rambling around in my head for a while now. Keep with me and tell me how I'm doing.

**Anime's-mistress**: Another new reader! I love people like you. Thanks so much for you compliment. I try really hard to play up Yusuke's emotions from the series and the manga. The fact that you enjoyed it means the world to me. Keep reading and letting me know what you think. If you would be so kind.

Chapter 7: Leaving

The sun was shining between the trees, playing a game of peek a boo. The fountain in the pond bubbled away some distance away from them. The birds were singing and chipmunks and squirrels could be seen rummaging through the tall grass. In the distance the sound of laughter and shouts from the baseball game rode on the gentle breeze.

The serenity and peace of the scene was lost on the group sitting at a picnic table. Their expressions were grim and tense as they stared into space. The silence of the group was shattered when a fist struck the top of the table.

"I can't stand it anymore!" Yusuke burst out. "How can she possible dodge all of us for a week?

Everyone jumped and stared at the young man. His hazel eyes were tormented as he stared down at his fists. His jaw was tense and a vein was visible in his forehead, giving a clue to the state of his emotions. The group glanced warily away from Yusuke trying to find something else to look at, doing their best to not bring his wrath down on them. His emotions had been a roller coaster for the past week, and with Keiko managing to stay one step ahead of him, there didn't seem to be any end in sight. So everyone had been walking on pins and needles, waiting for him to finally snap and hoping that when he did Yusuke would choose someone else to blow up at.

"I don't know Yusuke," Botan sighed as she reached over to pat his hand. "But I'm sure that it isn't on purpose. We all knew that she was going to busy…" Botan's voice trailed off as Yusuke stood up and slammed his fist into the light post next to them.

The metal groaned as it gave in and buckled under the pressure. The group winced and flinched away from Yusuke. "Don't give me that!" Yusuke gritted out as he glared at the group as a whole. "Keiko is one of the easiest people to predict and find. And yet she's managed to avoid all of us for the past week." His right hand scrubbed at his hair and he flashed an annoyed glance at the rest of the group.

"You don't know that Yusuke," Kurama offered calmly as he brushed his red hair away from his face. His hand was playing absently mindedly with the rose bush nearby. "It could simply be a coincidence."

"Nobody is that busy," Yusuke burst out. He was just barely managing to hold onto his anger. He was tempted to simply wait in Keiko's house until she came back. For the past week he had just managed to miss her. Keiko had either just left the house or came back right after he had left. He would leave a message and when she called back he wasn't home.

Yusuke eye's drifted upwards and absently watched an airplane taking off. His eyes followed it absently as he continued to remember this past week. Normally when he needed Keiko he could always count on her being right there. For as long as he could remember Keiko had been a thorn in his side, always trying to make sure he stayed on the straight and narrow.

But not this week. Yusuke sighed, his shoulders slumping slightly as he finally admitted to himself that whatever was bothering Keiko had to do with him. _What did I do?_ Yusuke asked himself as his eyes continued following the airplane. _Did I say something stupid? Or offend her in someway?_ Even as he asked himself these questions, he knew that it was something else. If Keiko were upset with him she would tell him, or give him the silent treatment until he apologized. But she always did that in front of him. She had never tried to avoid him before. Keiko was too upfront for that.

Yusuke shoved his hand into his pockets and rocked back on his heels. His hazel eyes pensive and squinting against the sun, he had finally lost sight of the airplane. For some reason this filled him with a feeling of loss and uneasiness. He tried to shrug off the feeling and concentrate on the current problem. A warm breeze swirled around him, tugging at his black jacket and ruffling his dark hair.

Yusuke closed his eyes as the wind brought a familiar scent. Jasmine. It wrapped around him, holding him in a warm embrace. For a moment Yusuke lost himself in that scent, pretending that Keiko was beside him. Her hand tucked into his arm, her warmth pressed against him as she exclaimed over the day and pointed out how the sun played on the lake.

A hand on his shoulder brought Yusuke out of his memories. His hazel eyes blazed in anger as he tossed a glare over his shoulder. He met cool green eyes that were sympathetic and understanding, his anger faded a bit and he gave a small half smile.

"Perhaps we should just go over to her house and wait," Kurama offered. "With everything that is going on Keiko is probably just running errands and will be home sooner or later."

"I guess you're right, Kurama," Yusuke agreed as he glanced back upwards at the airplane. "Her parents will let me know where she is or just let me hang out until she gets back."

"Then it's settled." Kuwabara sighed and pushed away from the picnic table. "It's about time," he mumbled quietly to himself.

"Did you say something?" Yusuke asked as he glared up at Kuwabara. His blood began to pound at the thought of a fight. It would take a bit of the edge off, Yusuke decided.

"What if I did," Kuwabara shot back, his head bending towards Yusuke. "It's obvious that you finally lost it."

"Ohyeah?"

"Yeah."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah!"

Yusuke's fist shot up into Kuwabara's face. He took delight in the sound that his fist made as it connected. Kuwabara struck back and Yusuke dodged easily. The anger in his body was channeling into this fight, Keiko faded to the background as Yusuke lost himself in the motions of the fight. Kuwabara tried to sweep his legs out from under him, Yusuke responded by jumping over the leg and kicking Kuwabara in the face. Kuwabara's hand caught Yusuke's leg and threw him to one side.

Yusuke landed hard and leapt back towards Kuwabara. His legs easily eating up the distance between them, his fist raised to slam into Kuwabara's face. When Kuwabara moved to block Yusuke's fist, Yusuke dodged to the right and slammed his foot into Kuwabara's side. Kuwabara collapsed inward, his arms wrapped protectively around his ribs.

"No fair Uremeshi," Kuwabara wheezed as he struggled to catch his breath.

"All's fair in love and war, Kuwabara," Yusuke replied as he leaned down to look at his friend. Yusuke's face was relaxed and slightlyamused as he continued to watch Kuwabara struggle to breath. "Besides," Yusuke tossed out as he straightened, "you should be tougher than that by now. How many demons have we gone up against?"

"I'll have you know that I can take any demon, any day," Kuwabara hollered back, his face growing red with anger.

"Of course you can, Kuwabara." Yusuke tucked his hands behind in his head and began to stroll away from them and towards Keiko's house. "Come on, let's go tell Keiko how tough you are."

The group behind Yusuke shared a relieved glance before hurrying after the spirit detective.

Keiko's eyes opened slowly, blurry and dry after her crying half the night. A quick glance at her alarm clock showed that it was time to get up. Puu's weight was a welcome pressure against her back as she contemplated her empty room. Today was the day.

She was leaving.

For the past week she had managed to avoid Yusuke and the rest of the gang. What had surprised her so much over the week was how hard and often they had come looking for her. _If the gang is determined to get rid of me, then why are they following me around?_ Keiko wondered in those early moments before true wakefulness. Keiko shoved the question away and concentrated on something else. There was too much to do today for her to waste any time on them.

Her things had been shipped a couple days ago and should be arriving just before her. Keiko had even got the name and telephone number of her new roommate at Hazard. She had been tempted to call but was afraid that her English wouldn't be up to the task. Instead, she had concentrated on making sure that she had everything she would need for the next couple of years.

Keiko was unsure if she would ever come back to Japan. There was too much pain her and she needed to be away from the place where everything would remind her of Yusuke. There were way to many memories here for her to think about coming back for a while. Maybe in a couple years the pain would have mellowed enough. Right at this moment though, Keiko doubted it. _Do you ever forget or truly forgive the betrayal of your first love? _

With a quick move Keiko shoved the blankets away form her and rolled out of bed. She was determined that Yusuke and his stupidity wouldn't bother her anymore. Later she would deal with everything. Right now she needed to get ready to catch her plane. The house was still silent and Keiko moved noiselessly down the hall.

In seconds she was in the shower. The hot water was pounding over her form as she scrubbed away at her skin and then washed her hair. Keiko tilted her face up to the hot spray and let it burn away her doubts and her tears. Her head eased down and Keiko gently rested her hands on the tiled wall in front of her. Keiko bent her head and let the water beat down over her head and shoulders. The water slowly worked the tension out of her shoulders and lessened the pain in her heads. As she rested against the tile wall, so call under her hands, she could feel pain start to rise again.

The first sob seemed to be ripped from her throat, taking her by surprise. The tears began to stream down her face and she pressed both hands to her mouth, trying to stifle the sobs. And still she sobbed until her legs buckled under her and she collapsed to the shower floor. The pain was a distant memory as the water continued to pound down on her and her sobs still racked her frame.

Keiko wrapped her arms around her knees and rested her forehead on her knees. She pounded on the side of the wall with her fists, the tears and sobs still coming fast and furious. And still the water continued to rain down, wrapped her in steam and washing away the tears. Keiko cried until there were no more tears left and the water began to cool.

With a jerky movement, Keiko managed to push herself off of the shower floor. Her arms and legs moved stiffly, like they belonged to someone else and it took Keiko a minute to get out of the shower. The towel was soft and fluffy as Keiko used it to dry herself off. She reached for her robe and shrugged it on before turning to hang up the towel. As she did, Keiko caught her reflection in the mirror.

The light brown eyes that stared back into her own seemed to be dead and shattered, the dark hair was plastered to the girls' head and seemed to make the pallor of her skin more pronounced. Even the girls' lips seemed almost bloodless in that white face. _Who am I now?_

Keiko deliberately looked away form the mirror and returned to her room. Her robe was shrugged off and tossed carelessly to the bed. With a brisk movement Keiko pulled on her clothes. The black jeans were comfortable and snug on her figure, nipping in at her waist and flaring out over rounded hips before clinging faithfully to her long legs. The red tank top showed a hint of cleavage and clung to the curve of her breast. A long sleeved white shirt was pulled on over the tank top, and buttoned to just under her breasts and tucked into the jeans. The outfit seemed to stress how tiny her waist was and the fullness of her figure.

Keiko pulled on a pair of black socks and then put on her black boots. Her fingers tugged viciously at the laces, her head bent over her task. When the boots were laced and tied, Keiko pushed herself up off the chair and reached for her hairbrush. Her hand clasped the handle tightly and quickly pulled the brush through her thick mop. Keiko absently twisted her hair into a French roll and secured it with couple hair clips decorated with red and white stones in a shape of a butterfly. There were four hair clips and they glittered in the light. She reached for a necklace hanging from the corner of the mirror. The white and black stones flashed briefly as she secured it around her neck. The stones shaped out another butterfly that just rested above the curve of her breasts.

The sun was just staring to lighten the sky and inch its way into her room. Keiko watched the beams for long moments, wishing that she could step into its warmth. Instead Keiko looked over at Puu. He was snuggled into her blankets, his head resting on her pillow and snoring lightly. A smile touched her lips at the thought of how much he looked like Yusuke. Just as quickly the smile died and Keiko turned away from Puu. As she did, Keiko suddenly remembered a conversation with Genkai.

Flashback Keiko and Genkai were standing on the porch of the temple. Puu was nestled contently in the curve of Keiko's arms, snoring lightly. Keiko laughed and pressed a kiss to his head, easing him closer to her body.  
"He is so much like Yusuke," Keiko told Genkai. "Especially with the snoring." Keiko paused and a thoughtful frown creased her brow. "Though there have been times with Yusuke when he wasn't snoring when I first walk up. It never takes long after I sit down next to him though," she smiled ruefully and looked into Genkai's eyes.  
"Simple enough," Genkai replied, her eyes fixed on Keiko's."Really?" Keiko questioned, feeling slightly nervous under that unblinking stare. Keiko was convinced that Genkaicould see into her soul and somehow found her wanting. "He's with you," Genkai told her while gesturing towards Puu. "I'm sorry?" Keiko responded, her tone confused. "He snores when he's with you." "If anyone else said that I would think they were trying to be insulting. And succeeding too!" Keiko sputtered. 

"You misunderstand. Yusuke and Puu snore when you are around because you are their comfort zone."

"_What?"_

"_Yusuke has always had to be wary of attack, even in sleep. So he never falls asleep deeply when he's alone or even with other present. Even after being pushed as hard as I pushed him, he maintains an awareness of his surroundings. When he's with you he doesn't have to." Genkai turned and looked over to where Yusuke and the rest of the gang were arguing. _

_Keiko could see that Kuwabara was yelling at Hiei and Yusuke was yelling at Kuwabara. Botan was trying to get them to stop and Yukina was standing a small distance away simply laughing. "I know that Yusuke never lets down his guard Genkai. But what does that…"_

"_But when you are with Yusuke, he doesn't worry about attack. He knows that you are there and you will warn him or even protect him from danger. Because he knows this, so does Puu. Therefore both of them can sleep, as long as you are near." Genkai paused and looked over at the Keiko. "Think about it. Who was the first person that Puu went to? You."_

_Keiko stood there to stunned to say anything. Her mind was in turmoil at the implication of what Genkai was saying. Yusuke only slept like the dead when she was near! _

"_Unfortunately my idiotic apprentice probably doesn't even realize it. So he'll take forever to tell you what it means. And that he loves you. So you'll have to be patient Keiko."_

**End Flashback. **

The sound of a door closing jerked Keiko from her memories. A sad smile touched her lips as she realized that Genkai had finally been wrong about something. Puu may love her but Yusuke didn't. Or if he did love her it was the love of a friend and that wasn't the love she needed. Whatever it was, Genkai was wrong and Keiko wasn't going to wait around anymore for Yusuke to figure it out.

Another glance at the clock showed that it was almost time for her taxi to arrive. Keiko glanced around the room to make sure that she had everything and nothing was being left behind. Keiko had already packed everything, including her normal pillow and blankets. She had decided to use extras last night rather than try and pack her stuff and take it on the plane with her.

Her suitcases stood by the door; her coat and purse were on top of them. Her back pack was next to the suitcases and it had already been packed. She was taking several books, her CD player with some CD's along with a remedial English learning program. While Keiko knew English and was considered fluent, she wanted to review some of the phrases and their pronunciations.

Keiko sighed and reached for her coat. She shrugged into it and placed her purse into her book bag after checking to make sure that she had her ticket, her identification and her passport. She opened her bedroom door and picked up her suitcases, a brief pause and another glance at Puu sleeping on the bed before she stepped into the hallway, pulling the door closed behind her.

Keiko was tempted to wake Puu up for another goodbye but knew that he was too upset. Besides, he knew that he was to go to Yusuke either tonight or tomorrow morning. Her parents were still sleeping as Keiko made her way down the stairs and out the door to the waiting taxi. She smiled and thanked the driver when he took her bags and put them in the trunk. She opened the car door and slipped in, the driver closing her door for her. She looked at her childhood home one more time as the driver began to pull away.

Her parents had thrown her a going away party last night. They had assured her that she could invite whoever she wanted, obviously expecting Yusuke to top that list. They had been confused when she told that she just wanted it to be the three of them. They had been surprised but had quickly agreed. Last night had been full of tears and laughter, along with hopes for the future. Keiko had been sent to bed with tear filled hugs and the admonition to write home soon.

Keiko had also left an envelope with her parents in case Yusuke came in. Keiko couldn't actually see Yusuke wanting any explanation or even bothering her parents but she wanted to make sure just in case. It had taken her forever to write the letter. She had thrown away hundreds; ones that had raged at him, ones that had demanded to know why and ones that had simply told him to be happy.

In the end Keiko had settled on a single line. That line contained her anger, betrayal, fear and anguish. Keiko couldn't help but wonder if Yusuke would even care when he read that line or would he only feel relief? _Would he even notice? Or would he feel relieved to know that I'm no longer there to nag and yell? _As Keiko entered the airport and the door slid closed behind her, she realized that it didn't matter anymore. It was too late to go back.

It was time to face the future.

The bell to the shop jangled over their heads as the group entered the shop. The smells and noise instantly embraced them. Yusuke looked around and couldn't prevent the fond smile. For as long as he could remember, he and Keiko had hung around the shop. Doing homework, playing or simply talking.

Whenever his mom wasn't around or if there wasn't any food in the house,he would come in and immediately be welcomed. Mrs. Yukimara had often teased him that he was going to put them out of business by eating so much but they had never turned him away or charged him for the meal. They seemed to understand the tension that had filled his frame until Keiko had called his name and smiled at him.

This was home.

Of course Keiko hadn't started to cook those meals until they were both older. Then he would sit at the counter, complaining about doing his homework and watching her cook. He would watch her tie that apron around her waist, tossing the rice into the water and turning on the frying pan. The noodles would hit the pan with the beef and the smell would instantly relax him. He and Keiko would study for test or just talk about their days.

He knew that he had to end his day watching her. It didn't matter if it was while she was cooking, taking care of the kids or just sleeping. Just as long as Yusuke could watch her and see that smile. That smile always let him know that everything was going to be okay and all was right with the world. _I never told her that, _he reflected. He had never thought he needed to. Her parents understood. And Keiko knew him better than anyone else. _Keiko has to know that I'm only as happy as she is. If she hurts, I hurt. She has to know._ But Yusuke had a feeling that somehow Keiko was starting to doubt that. He couldn't let that happen. He couldn't lose her.

"Yusuke!" A welcoming voice called before he was enfolded in a hug and kiss placed on his cheek. Mrs. Yukimara smiled at him, her brown eyes warm and welcoming. "I didn't expect to see you this early."

"Hello Mrs. Yukimara," Yusuke replied as he returned the hug and pressed a kiss to her cheek. Then he took a step back and stuffed his hands into his jean pockets. "I just stopped by to see…." A voice from behind him interrupted.

"That hurt, Kuwabara!"

"Jeez, I'm sorry Botan. It's not like I did it on purpose." Kuwabara whined in reply.

Yusuke winced and his head ducked in disbelief at the argument going on behind him before deciding to just ignore it. "We just came to Keiko."

"I don't understand," Mrs. Yukimara wrung her hands together and stared at them. "Keiko isn't here."

"What!" Yusuke groaned. He couldn't believe his luck.

"Forgive m, but could you tell us where she is?" Kurama asked with a polite smile and a bow. "It is quite important."

"I though she told you," Mrs. Yukimara paused and looked around the group. "She left for America first thing this morning. She's going to school at one of their universities."

"What!"

"Why don't you come upstairs, I know that Keiko left a letter for you Yusuke." Mrs. Yukimara offered and the group followed her up the stairs into the living room.

With a gesture for the group to sit, Mrs. Yukimara left the room and headed down a long hall. She disappeared into a door and the group was left in silence. Everyone watched Yusuke warily, nervously wondering how he was going to take this.

_She is not gone. She's just upset._ Yusuke told himself over and over. _No matter how bad things are she would have told me. Even if it was just to say goodbye. _But a voice in his head reminded him that things were tough for him, he didn't tell her. He could almost hear her voice in his ear, yelling at him for shutting her out and how much she worried about him. He always brushed her off, not because he didn't care but because he needed to know that she was happy and worry free. It didn't occur to him that not knowing brought on more worry than knowing.

"Here." A white envelope suddenly wavered in front of his face. His eyes focused on the plain white envelope and he hesitated. For some reason he knew the moment that he opened it everything would change. Slowly his hand came up and grasped the envelope. It was cold to touch and that coldness seemed to spread through Yusuke's body as he carefully eased the flap open and withdrew a single sheet of paper.

The envelope dropped to the floor forgotten as Yusuke gently unfolded the single sheet of paper. There was only a single line. His hazel eyes stared uncomprehendingly as he read the line. His eyes blinked and he read the line again. And then again. His hands started to shake and tears were beginning to well up in his eyes. The paper slipped from suddenly nerveless fingers and his head dropped into his head.

"no. no. NOOOO!!!" Yusuke suddenly screamed. His mind was trying to deny the words written on the paper.

Kurama leaned over and picked up the paper from the ground. His green eyes widened in sudden comprehension as to why Yusuke was so upset. A sigh escaped him and he stared at Yusuke in sorrow.

"What does it say?" Botan asked, as she looked over his shoulder, confused as to why Yusuke was acting this way. Her eyes widened in realization and shock as she read the line and her mouth dropped open. "Oh no." Botan moaned and looked over at Yusuke, tears beginning to form in her own eyes. He was crying and rocking back and forth on the couch.

"What?" Kuwabara asked impatiently and tried to rip the paper out of Kurama's hands. He just missed and Kurama tilted the paper so he could see. "I don't get it," he complained as he read the line.

"Idiot." Hiei spat out as he turned away from the group and headed back down the stairs.

Hiei had to admire the human girl. She had struck a blow in such away that even he was left in awe. For a human Keiko knew how to inflect the most damage possible. Her last message to Yusuke and the rest of the gang made sure that they knew exactly whose fault it was.

Hiei stepped into the afternoon sun and glanced into the bright blue sky. A bird was flying by and his dark eyes followed it for a moment before turning away. As he walked away he could once again see Keiko's final message.

_**NO More Miss Busy Body.**_

**A/N:** Well there's another chapter done. I hope that you enjoyed it. I'm sorry it took so long but my disk and computer caught a virus and it took me awhile to repair the damage. I think this is one of the longest chapters written. But it was also one of the easiest. The next chapter I will introduce the US crew. So until we meet again (Bows deeply) thanks for spending time with me.


	8. New Faces

**_Title:_**Keiko's Revenge

**_Author:_**Bradybunch4529

**_Summary: _**Keiko overhears a conversation between the gang that causes her to leave everything behind.

**_Disclaimers:_** Yu Yu Hakusho and everything related is not mine.

**_Rating: _**PG-13

**_Pairings: _** Keiko/Yusuke Botan/Koenma Kurama/OC

**_A/N: _**I am changing things to suit me of course. So slightly AU. At this point Yusuke is not on his way to Makai.

_**Reviewers:**_

**_Kuramalover21: _**I wondered if the emotions and reactions would work out. Thank you for letting me know that you enjoyed it. Come back again.

**_Cerridwene:_** A new reviewer! Welcome to my story. You are right; it's definitely poor, poor Yusuke. But what doesn't break you will make you stronger. So hopefully it will work out that way!

**_Escptheshdw835:_** You came back! Thanks for sticking with me so long. My computer decided to eat the chapter and I had to go back and try to find it and then get rid of the virus. It was not a pretty sight; I almost shot the computer. Definitely cried and screamed though. I'm glad that you enjoyed it and thought the chapter was worth the wait. Hopefully this chapter will live up to expectations.

**OoOo**

Chapter 8: New Faces

".._Please return all trays and seats to their upright position. The weather is a balmy 82 degrees with clouds building to the west and forecasters are calling for a thunderstorm by early evening."_

Keiko came awake slowly, the voice continuing to drone into her ear. Her seatmate nudged her shoulder and Keiko's chocolate brown eyes blinked open. A frown crossed her face when blue filled her vision. Another blink and Keiko realized that she was staring at a seat cover. For a moment she was confused and then it all came rushing back.

Airplane to America. Leaving Tokyo. Leaving Yusuke. The pain slammed into her and her breath caught in her throat. Keiko bit down hard on her bottom lip to stop herself from crying out. Instantly blood filled her mouth and the emotional pain subsided in the rush of physical pain. Keiko was determined not to think about Yusuke. She needed to get to Harvard Campus and find out where her dorm was and hope that her stuff had arrived on time. The list went on and on; starting with getting off of the plane, collecting her suitcases and trying to figure out which way was up.

The airplane began a slow descent with the engines revving, the floor vibrating under her feet and seeming to tilt upwards. Keiko's eyes closed, head tilted back and hands gripping the seat's armrests. While she had flown with Puu, Yusuke and Botan; flying on an airplane was a new experience for her. There was a bump when the wheels touched down on the tarmac and Keiko was jostled forward a bit. Then the airplane was slowing down and people around her began to move.

Keiko's eyes opened and she looked down at her hands. The knuckles were still white and her fingers were beginning to make impressions into the seat. It took a conscious effort but her fingers slowly released the armrests as the airplane rolled to a gentle stop at the gate. The large gray building seems to sprawl around and behind the many runways. Large windows glinted in the sun, blinding Keiko before she was jolted out of her thoughts by the people moving around her.

Everyone was pulling their carry on from the overhead bins or pulling book bags out from under the seat in front of them and making their way out of the airplane. Even the older lady next to Keiko had already left. Keiko sighed and began to gather her stuff. Her head brushed the ceiling and she had to twist her body slightly to pull her book bag over her shoulder. Her CD player was grasped in her left hand, the music still playing from headphone currently draped around her neck. The familiar Japanese lyrics comforted her, as she was surround by English.

An older gentleman stopped before her seat and motioned for her go ahead of him. Keiko smiled and thanked the man in halting English and received a smile in reply. She quickly swung herself out from the recessed seat and moved up the aisle. Keiko carefully watched her feet in the small aisle way, lit on either side by the emergency lights, as she made her way out of the airplane. She received a smile and a goodbye from the flight attendants, a pretty blond headed woman who had smiled the entire trip. The flight attendant had even taken the time to speak with Keiko before take off, having been informed that it was her flight. Keiko smiled warmly back and thanked the woman before turning and walking up the gates tunnel into the main terminal.

Once there, Keiko was assaulted by images and noise. There were people sitting in the gate area that glanced up at the group leaving the airplane. A voice was speaking over the PA system in French before switching to another language. There were several monitors hanging from the ceilings with a listing of flights and arrival times, departure times and gate numbers. Keiko moved further into the terminal, trying to ignore how nervous she was right now.

Alone, in a country that wasn't her own, surround by a language that wasn't hers. Keiko took a deep breath and pushed the nervousness to the back of her mind. She hiked her book bag higher on her shoulder and moved towards an empty seat in the corner of the gate wanting to take a minute and get her bearings. She swung her book bag into the low blue padded seat and opened the bag. Keiko pulled the headphones off, ignoring the small twinge when the band caught her hair, and turned off the CD player before sticking it into the bag. She pulled out the water bottle that she had filled up at the last stop over and took a deep pull of the liquid.

Keiko winced slightly as the overly warm water hit her tongue but she swallowed and took another drink, hoping to at least soothe her parched throat. Her legs were slightly unsteady and tight from spending so much time sitting in a cramped seat. Keiko shrugged her shoulders and tried to work the tension from her shoulders and back. She glanced down at the watch on her wrist before returning the water bottle and finally picking her book bag back up. With the bag back on her shoulder, Keiko looked up at the huge signs that hung over the main walkways.

One of the arrows pointed the way to customs and baggage claim. That had to be where she needed to go, Keiko decided and began to move in that direction. Her boots rang on the tiled floor as Keiko walked through the airport. People moved around her and by her talking on cell phones or rushing to make it to their gate. It was a symphony of sounds and Keiko could feel her nervousness slowly disappearing with every stepshe took.

Keiko spotted the customs line in front of her and picked up her pace slightly. The quicker she got through showing her passport and the security check meant she got to a shower sooner. While she had managed to change clothes, brush her teeth and wash her face, Keiko was very aware that it had been almost 48 hours since her last shower. She came to a stop behind a large family and put her bag on the floor. Keiko kneeled down and retrieved her passport and paperwork explaining her pending student visa.

It only took a few minutes before Keiko was finally through the customs check and heading for baggage claim. She was actually surprised at how quickly it had happened, Keiko had been under the impression that after 9-11 that security had been beefed up in the United States. Instead they had checked her bag through an X-ray machine and asked her a few questions before stamping her passport and bidding her a nice day.

Within seconds Keiko had managed to retrieve her two suitcases and was trying to figure the best way to carry them outside. Just as she had decided to just grab them and go a voice interrupted her.

"Keiko Yukimara?" The voice was female and hesitant.

Keiko whirled to face the voice, her hands automatically coming up in defense.

"Whoa." The girl behind her held up both of her hands, with the palms facing Keiko. A smile lit up her face as she continued, "I didn't mean to startle you. I'm sorry."

Keiko slowly lowered her hands and gave a slight smile in return. "No I'm sorry." Keiko's dark brown eyes slowly traced the girls' features. She saw dark green eyes with gold flecks scattered in them. The girl had sunshine blond hair and a wide smile. Another glance showed that the girl was wearing a T-shirt with the Harvard Logo and dark blue jeans with a pair of blue slip on sneakers. Keiko looked back into the girls' eyes and found warmth, understand and a genuine caring in them. She sighed, "You just startled me."

"I understand completely," the girl replied, smiling wider and lowering her hands. "I just didn't want you to get away if you were Keiko Yukimara." The girls' voice was warm and had a softly lilting quality to it. "You are Keiko Yukimara, right?" For the first time a hint of doubt entered her voice. "If you aren't and I scared you to death I will never forgive myself," the girl moaned and cast a pleading glance at Keiko.

Keiko couldn't help but laugh at the girl. There was something so likeable about her. It was if Keiko had known her for years and was completely understood. "No I'm Keiko Yukimara." She offered her hand and was surprised at the warmth and comfort that the girls' handshake immediately provided.

"I'm Cassandra Michealson your new roommate," the girl replied with a smile, her hand tightening around Keiko's. "The registrars' office let me know that you were coming in today and all your flight information." Cassandra released Keiko's hand and reached for one of the suitcases. "Let me get that for you." Keiko opened her mouth to protest, only to shut it again when Cassandra waved a hand towards the elevator on the left. "I'm parked in one of the short term parking garages. I didn't want to wait at the curb and take the chance I would miss you."

Keiko picked up the other case and followed the gregarious girl to the elevator. In seconds both girls were on the elevator with a group of high school students. Cassandra flashed Keiko a smiling look when the girls squealed over a cute boy walking by just before the doors closed. Keiko found herself smiling back, easily reading the other girls' expression. It amazed Keiko how well she felt she knew Cassandra. She was still slightly dazed by that thought when the elevator reached their level and Cassandra moved out of the elevator.

"Anyway," Cassandra continued as she pointed the way down a long hallway. "I figured that it would be easier and nicer if I just came to pick you up. After all, long plan trip, a new country and a language that isn't your own is enough to deal with. Let alone trying to get your suitcases and self to a taxi and finding the dorm." Cassandra laughed and glanced over at Keiko again. "Though by the looks of things you could have handled it. I bet you're the type to always remain on the top of any situation."

"I try to be," Keiko replied slowly, amazed that the girl was such a good judge of character. Suddenly Keiko realized that she could understand Cassandra. Keiko blinked slightly at this realization. There had been no hesitation from Cassandra when speaking to her. Cassandra hadn't tried to talk down to her or even slow her speech and Keiko had instantly fallen into the habit of replying without thought. A glance at Cassandra showed that the girl was watching her with a knowing expression on her face. Keiko smiled when she realized that Cassandra had consciously made her reply without thinking.

"This is it," Cassandra stopped next to a small blue car. The blue Hyundai trunk was popped open easily and Cassandra slid the suitcase she was carrying in before reaching for Keiko's other one.

"Thanks," Keiko offered as Cassandra closed the trunk and moved around to unlock the passenger door.

"You're welcome," Cassandra replied as she slid into the drivers seat. The keys jangled in her hand as she slid the car key into the ignition. With a quick twist of her wrist, the car started and Cassandra reached for her seat belt, absently she clicked the belt into place and reached for the radio. "Sorry," she offered as music filled the car. "Buckle up."

Keiko reached behind her and pulled the seat belt across her body and clicked it into place. She settled back into the seat with a sigh. Her brown eyes curiously looked around the car as Cassandra carefully back out of her space. The console was a dark gray that sparkled like it had been recently cleaned. A notice on the glove box stated that there was a passenger seat airbag. The seat was comfortable, upholstered in a dark gray fabric streaked with blues and reds. The car was roomy for how small it was. The steering wheel was a dark gray but had a brightly colored grip cover placed over it.

Cassandra kept quiet and let Keiko look her fill. She shifted easily into first and came to a stop at the gate. She handed the woman her ticket and waited to be told her total. When it came, Cassandra handed over the money and bid the woman goodbye. In seconds Cassandra was merging with traffic leaving the airport behind them. With the ease of long practice, Cassandra weaved in and out of traffic moving away from the airport. Cassandra took the freeway exit and merged into lunch hour traffic heading for the university.

"So are you hungry?" Cassandra asked after merging into traffic and dodging around a slow moving van. Keiko had been so busy staring at everything that Cassandra hadn't wanted to interrupt. But Keiko had finally relaxed into the seat and was watching the traffic pass them.

"I am but I really just want a shower," Keiko admitted shyly but when Cassandra laughed, Keiko laughed too.

"I understand completely," Cassandra assured her, glancing at her quickly, the green eyes warm with humor. "It will relieve you to know that your stuff arrived two days ago."

"That is a relief," Keiko replied with a smile. "I was worried that it was going to get lost."

"Don't I know it," Cassandra agreed, checking the left lane for traffic before flicking on her turn signal and moving into the faster moving lane. "I hope you don't mind but I went ahead and put some stuff away."

"Really."

"Umm. Just enough that I could get the boxes out of the way," Cassandra smiled a Keiko as she moved into the left lane again. "I wasn't trying to be nosy, Kay. I just couldn't move in the room."

"Kay?"

"Oops. Sorry," Cassandra frowned slightly. "I have this thing about names. I automatically shorten them or give a nickname. Get it from my Mom."

Keiko had to smile. She had never met anyone quite like Cassandra before. There wasn't anything mean or spiteful in her manner, just an honest warmth and genuine caring. Cassandra was the type of person that instantly made everyone feel comfortable and like they were at home. Keiko couldn't tell Cassandra how much she appreciated that aspect of her personality. After everything with Yusuke and the rest of the gang, Keiko had been sure that she wouldn't trust anyone else for a while. Instead, she found a new friend within minutes of landing. Keiko couldn't help but relax even more and allow that warmth to fill her up.

"Kay?" Cassandra's voice was hesitant.

"Hmm?"

"You okay?"

"I'm fine and I don't mind if you call me Kay," Keiko replied firmly, smiling brightly at her new friend.

Cassandra blinked a couple of times, turning to look at Keiko before returning her attention to the road. "Okay then." She laughed and reached over to pat Keiko's knee. "We'll get along fine. My last roommate couldn't handle the gang and ran screaming for the hills." Cassandra moved into the exit lane and took the ramp onto a residential street.

"You that scary Cassandra?" Keiko asked in amusement, turning to look at her.

"Call me Cassie. And no, I don't think so. But my friends and I are slightly unusual," Cassandra replied and came to a stop for a red light. "We have any interesting blend of people with different personalities, goals and tastes."

"And that scared the last roommate?" Keiko asked confused.

"I think it was the fact that half the group are pagans rather than practicing mainstream religion," Cassandra explained as the light turned green and she made a right turn onto another street.

"Pagans?"

"Yep."

"And that scared her?"

"Most people don't like to admit that there might be spirits and demons that don't follow conventional religion."

"I see."

"But other than that I think that the gang is pretty normal. They promised not to descend for at least 2 hours after you landed. But we normally eat dinner together. Tonight we're going to my mom's house for it."

"Your mom?"

"She's a professor here at Harvard, in Philosophy and English Literature."

"But you live on campus."

Cassandra slowed and made a left down an alleyway before replying, "Momma told me that the point of college is to get away from home and have fun." Cassandra laughed and slowed down to pull into a parking lot behind a huge brick building. "More than that she told me that part of the fun is to actually live on campus and be able to take part in everything rather than having to run home."

"You're mom sounds like an unusual woman," Keiko replied as she got out of the car.

"She is." Cassandra locked the car and went around to the trunk to remove the luggage. She handed a suitcase and Keiko's book bag to her before pulling out the other suitcase. She tucked the car keys into her front jean pocket, "this way." She pointed the way to a door partially hidden behind a bush.

Keiko juggled everything and followed after Cassandra. She took a couple deep breaths and was amazed at how clean and fresh the air smelled. The trees were swaying slightly in the breeze, birds were singing and as Keiko watched, a squirrel ran from a bush to a tree. She had to smile at the noise and the sight. It was so unusual to see any type of animals in Tokyo.

"Kay?" Cassandra had stopped at the door, holding it open while she waited for Keiko to catch up.

"Sorry," Keiko called out and hurried to where Cassandra was standing.

"Not a problem," Cassandra assured her as Keiko slipped past her and into the stairwell. "Just go up."

Keiko took a deep breath and a better hold onto her suitcase before beginning to climb up the stairs. Her right hand grasped the rail and her boots rang on the metal staircase. The stairs were well lit and the air was cool, which was a sharp contrast to the heat outside. Keiko could hear Cassandra behind her, as the girl easily climbed up the stairs.

"We're going to the second floor," Cassandra told her as Keiko paused on the first landing.

"Okay."

A few more minutes of climbing and then they reached the second landing. Keiko opened the door and let Cassandra go through first. Cassandra nodded her thanks and led the way to the right before stopping at the third door on the left. Cassandra dug her keys out of her pocket again and unlocked the door. With a soft snick the door swung open and Cassandra stepped backwards and motioned for Keiko to go ahead of her.

Keiko took a deep breath, knowing that she was about to enter the room that was going to her home for the next four years. For a second Keiko was tempted to run away, to forget about Yusuke's betrayal and just go home. Then Keiko shook it off and took that first step forward.

The room was larger than Keiko had thought it would be. There was a large window on the wall directly in front of her. The window was covered in a bright red curtain with sweeping valiances across the top in the same bright red. The floor was done in a black and white tile, with a diamond pattern. In the center of the floor was a dark red thick carpet. The walls were done in a creamy white, and directly to the right of Keiko was a closet. A quick look to the left showed a matching closet tucked in the corner on the left.

There was built in desks and dressers on the right hand side. There was a lone bare bed on the right hand side, just in front of the closet. The other bed was set up on a wooden frame, just in front of the window. The frame had a desk built into it and with shelves built into the frame that went the entire length of it. The shelves were filled with books, a radio, several stuffed animals and several notebooks. There was also a laptop on the desk with a printer hooked up to it. There was also a refrigerator place under the frame with a beanbag chair there.

On one of the dressers was a TV with a built in VCR and a DVD player already hooked up to it. The bed was itself was made neatly, with a bright red comforter that seemed quite thick. There was a body pillow done in blues and greens stretched along the side of the bed. The pillows and sheets were dark green color. There were several pictures placed around the room, along with framed poems and stories.

There were also boxes everywhere. They were piled on the empty bed, in front of the closet and on every available surface. There was only a path to the occupied bed that was free of clutter. Keiko couldn't help but groan when she saw the mess. All she wanted was a long hot shower and it looked like it would take her at least 2 hours to get everything unpacked and put away.

"Hey don't worry about it," Cassandra soothed as she put a hand on Keiko's shoulder. "I'll help you and it won't take any time at all."

Keiko flashed a grateful smile at Cassandra. "You sure you want to help?"

"Like I'm just going to sit in the corner and watch you go insane," Cassandra teased and nudged Keiko's shoulder. "I'll tell you what, first we'll leave the door open. It's still early so not that many girls have moved in yet and it's fairly common during moving in day. Second, we'll unpack the suitcases first."

Keiko was already nodding and moving deeper into the room. She placed her suitcase and the book bag on top of a box. Cassandra followed her lead before toeing off her shoes and placing them on the welcome mat just inside the door. Keiko decided that taking off her shoes sounded good, so she untied her boots and placed them beside Cassandra's shoes. With a quick smile at each other, the girls turned to the boxes and began unpacking.

It took just over an hour and a half before the boxes were emptied. Both girls were resting against Keiko's new made bed, drinking bottled water still cold from the refrigerator. Sweat was dripping down both of their faces, their clothes were clinging to them, despite the fan that Cassandra had turned on to keep the air cooler. The sun had dimmed slightly, becoming hidden behind the clouds but the humidity had shot up. Cassandra had told Keiko that a storm was rolling in and not to worry too much. Keiko had just nodded and gone back to unpacking.

Now the only thing Keiko wanted was a shower. She rolled her head on her shoulders, trying to keep movement to a minimum. Her muscles were tight and aching from all the unpacking. She looked at Cassandra, who had her eyes closed and was pressing the water bottle to her forehead.

"Hey," Keiko tapped Cassandra on the shoulder.

"Hmm?"

"Shower," Keiko whimpered pitfully.

Cassandra chuckled and opened her eyes to look into Keiko's pleading brown eyes. "Puppy dog eyes, huh?" Cassandra slowly eased herself up, moaning as muscles protested the move. "Come on," she offered her hand to Keiko and pulled her up. Both girls groaned as they wavered on their feet for a moment. The muscles straining and protesting any movements. "Get your stuff and I'll show you where the bathrooms are."

Both girls grabbed their showering caddy, towels and robes. Cassandra led the way to down the hall to the bathroom. The tiles were cool against their feet as they made their way to the back of the bathroom and then turned into another doorway. This room was larger than the previous, with smaller tiles and showers put into recessed rooms. There were 8 different showers, with the one in the back being slightly larger with a bench built into the back wall.

Keiko picked one of the showers and stepped into the recessed room. She found a hook and a small wooden bench in the first recessed room. She pulled the shower curtain back and placed her shower caddy on the granite floor inside the shower, starting the water before pulling the shower curtain closed again. Then she hung her robe on the hook with her towel on top before stripping quickly. The running water was like a siren's call to Keiko and all she could think about was washing away the past 2 days. She could almost feel the water pounding down on her head and shoulders. Distantly she was aware of the sound of another shower being turned on.

Keiko stepped into the shower after folding her clothes and placing them neatly on the bench. She sighed in ecstasy when the hot water rushed over her. She tilted her face up and let the water run over her face. For several seconds Keiko just relaxed in water, letting the water wash away the tension, sweat and aches. Then she turned away and reached for her face wash.

20 minutes later Keiko was back in the room getting dressed. She sighed at the feel of being clean and pulling on clean clothes. As she finished pulling her shirt over her head, the door suddenly burst open.

"Hey Cassie!" Several voices called at once, laughing together.

Keiko turned to face the group as they came to a stop just inside the room. There were a total of 6, 2 boys and 4 girls, all of them seeming to be shocked speechless at the sight of Keiko. The boy in front was around Keiko's height, with shaggy brown hair and loose clothing. The girl next to him had long black hair that was pulled back from her face. Glasses were perched on her nose, showcasing her sparkling brown eyes. The girl just behind her was shorter than Keiko and had short dark hair, with glasses hiding her blue eyes. Directly behind that girl was a taller girl with long dirty blond hair, hanging loose around her face. The tallest girl in the back was slightly heavier than the rest, with her light brown hair loose down her back. Another boy stood out in the hall, seeming to be well over six feet tall. He had short blond hair that seemed to be streaked with lighter shades of blond. He had broad shoulders and bright blue eyes.

"Hello," Keiko offered when none of them spoke up.

"Hello," the girl responded quietly. "We apologize. We were looking for…"

"Hey guys," Cassandra's voice called from behind all of them.

Keiko looked over the group and met Cassandra's laughing green eyes. She was standing next to the guy in the hall, hair still wrapped in a towel dressed in her robe. She patted the guys' arm and began to make her way through the group into the room. The gang got out of the way and smiled a greeting at her.

"We're sorry Cassie," the boy in front offered. "I know that we're early but we got hungry!"

"It's okay Jeff," Cassandra assured the boy. Just let me and Keiko get finished dressed and then we can head for Momma's."

"Okay." The group offered Keiko an apologetic smile before stepping back into the hall and closing the door.

"Sorry about that Kay," Cassandra offered as she rubbed briskly at her hair after putting her caddy in the closet. "The gang is so used to it just being me and I never lock the door, so they just burst right in."

"Don't worry about it," Keiko smiled at Cassandra and reached into her closet for her tennis shoes.

"I'll introduce you before we head to Momma's."

"Sounds good."

The room fell silent as Cassandra quickly got dressed and Keiko finished tying her tennis shoes. Within minutes Cassandra had pulled on another pair of jeans and a different t- shirt, leaving her hair loose down her shoulders. Cassandra pulled on her slip on tennis shoes and smiled at Keiko.

"I'm ready how about you?"

"Whenever you are."

"Hungry yet?"

"Starving," Keiko replied with a small laugh.

"Don't worry about it. Momma will have a big dinner waiting."

Cassandra smiled at Keiko and pulled open the door. The gang had waited for them in the hall and they smiled when both of them walked out. "Time for introductions gang," Cassandra called and everyone nodded.

"Keiko I'd like you to meet Jeff," Cassandra stopped next to the boy who had been the first in the room. "The girl next to him is Jane, his girlfriend." Keiko nodded at the girl who had first spoken. "Next is Lee." Cassandra pointed to the girl with short brown hair and glasses. "Then there is Lori." The girl who nodded was the one with long dirty blond hair and a sweet smile. "Next to her is Deanne." Deanne was the tallest girl with long brown hair down her back. "And last but certainly not least is Jacob." The tall blond hair boy smiled and nodded at Keiko.

"Anyways this is the gang. Gang this is Keiko."

"Hello Keiko. Welcome to the gang," the group spoke as one, their smiles warm and welcoming as they stared at the girl.

Keiko couldn't help but smile back and enjoy the thought of being a part of the gang.

OooO

A/N: Well there's the next chapter. I hope it was worth the wait. And that it wasn't too confusing. It ran into a bit of writers' block. I'll do better next time I swear! Let me know what you think. Next time we'll meet mom and see how Yusuke's doing.


	9. Surprises

**_Title:_**Keiko's Revenge

**_Author:_**Bradybunch4529

**_Summary: _**Keiko overhears a conversation between the gang that causes her to leave everything behind.

**_Disclaimers:_** Yu Yu Hakusho and everything related is not mine.

**_Rating: _**PG-13

**_Pairings: _** Keiko/Yusuke Botan/Koenma Kurama/OC

**_A/N:_**I am changing things to suit me of course. So slightly AU. At this point Yusuke is not on his way to Makai.

_**Reviewers:**_

**_Rose Angelz: _**Definitely new friends. Which makes things a little easier, and they are going to be quite a surprise. Yusuke plays a bigger part in this chapter. I promise.

**_Donamarine: _**Don't worry about it. I know that things happen. Yusuke and the gang are in this chapter. I love the name Cassandra, Prophet of Doom, so I thought it would be great to use in here. You're right the gang is not oblivious to things that go bump in the night. Keiko is going to be in for a very big surprise. I hope you like it too!

**Escptheshdw835:**I hope that you get the computer fixed. I know that I cry when my computer goes funky. Cassandra is really nice, but her mom is going to shock everyone! Hope you like this chapter.

**FG( ): **Isn't Cassie the nicest? I'm glad that you thought you enjoyed my original character. I hope that this chapter meets your expectations.

**Kenshinlover2002:**I was afraid that the chapter lasted too long. But I couldn't find a better place to end it. I'm glad that you enjoyed the chapter. Don't worry too much Yusuke is big in this chapter. I hope :P.

_**OoxxoO**_

**Chapter 9: Surprises**

Keiko stretched out and relaxed against the cushion of the couch. From the kitchen she could hear the gang arguing and laughing over who was going to put the dishes away. Keiko couldn't help but smile at how everything had worked out. When Cassandra had first introduced her to Cassandra's friends, Keiko had been so afraid that she wouldn't fit. But after spending the evening with everyone at Cassandra's house, she had realized that these people were so honest and open, instantly making Keiko a part of the group.

Keiko remembered thinking that the house had suited Cassandra when they had pulled into the driveway.

_The house was away from the city, set back from the street and surrounded by trees. The white house was two stories, with a wrap around porch and a full balcony on the second story. There were patio furniture on the porch and the balcony. A rocking chair was moving gently in the breeze and a hammock swung in the front yard, shaded by the tall trees. _

_There were flowers lining the drive and crowded against the house in well cared for flowerbeds. There was also a large pond and fountain in the center of the front yard. White, pink and red roses climbed the walls and the porch. As Cassandra pulled to a stop in front of the garage, just to the right of the house, Keiko could hear the sound of dogs barking excitedly. A worried glance at Cassandra had conveyed her fear. Cassandra had simply smiled and climbed out of the car._

_The rest of the gang had pulled to a stop beside the car and was spilling out of their car. The voices raised and laughing as they moved towards the house with the ease of long familiarity. The back door had opened and several dogs had come tumbling out. Keiko couldn't help but laugh at the sight of such big dogs, dancing and jumping around their visitors. There was something so playful and childlike in their demand for attention. A woman appeared in the doorway, a smile on her face. _

_Her long blond hair was spilling loose almost to her feet. The blond streaked with silver and curly around the ends. Her feet were bare on the boards of porch; several rings glittered on the woman's hands as she embraced each of the group before shooing them into the house. Slowly the woman turned to face her and Keiko realized that she was still sitting in the car. She quickly opened her car door and scrambled out of the car, conscious that the woman was watching her. _

"_I am so sorry, Ma'am," Keiko called as she closed the car door and hurried up the walk. She moved through the gate and pulled it closed behind her. "I just got caught up in my thoughts." Keiko's was so determined to explain that she hadn't realized that the woman was smiling at her. _

"_Don't worry about it," the voice was calm and soothing, seeming to wrap around Keiko's frayed nerves, halting Keiko's rushed apologies. _

_Keiko looked into light green eyes, with gold flecks strewn through and what seemed to be brown lines drawn from the center and felt at home. A natural smile touched her lips and she found herself hugging the woman tightly. The woman's hands soothed the tension from Keiko's shoulders and rubbed away the headache that Keiko hadn't even been aware of. She took a deep breath and the smell of vanilla filled her senses. Her eyes closed and her arms tightened around the woman, not even aware that tears were slowly beginning to fall. _

_The woman patted her back and hummed softly as she rocked them back and forth. "Cry it all away, baby girl," the soft voice whispered into Keiko's ears. "The pain will lessen with time I promise."_

_Keiko found herself believing those words and the tears began to slow before disappearing. Keiko drew back; slightly ashamed at how she had lost it, only to meet those green eyes again. This time those eyes were filled with understanding and compassion. _

"_All right now?" The woman asked, her tone concerned. _

_Keiko could only nod as she stared at the woman. She found a woman that she didn't believe could have a child as old as Cassandra. Despite the streaks of silver and gray in her hair, there were only a few lines around the woman's mouth and nose. Her eyes seemed to radiate a contentment and serenity that Keiko couldn't help but respond to. Her face was softly rounded with high cheekbones, full lips that seemed to smile constantly. The overall picture was youthful and Keiko was suddenly wondering if this was Cassandra's mom. _

"_Are you Cassie's sister?" Keiko asked hesitantly. _

"_Her mother actually. Call me Annie or Mom, whatever you prefer," Annie answered and guided Keiko into the house. Keiko was going to apologize again but stopped when Annie shook her head, "don't worry about it. Nobody thinks I'm that old." Annie sighed and led the way into the kitchen. _

"_You'll never be old mom," Cassandra and the rest of the gang responded as Keiko and Annie entered the kitchen. _

"_You all are going to make me old," Annie replied as she smacked Jeff's hand away from the brownies and glared at him. _

"_Mom I'm hungry," he whined._

"_Dinner's almost done," she replied calmly as she walked over to the sink. "Why don't you guys go set the table for me?"_

"_Okay," the group replied as one and wandered off. _

"_You can help me if you want Kay or you can go with the gang," Annie told Keiko with a smile. _

"_I'd like to help you if I may," Keiko responded, wanting to stay and speak with this woman who reminded her of Genkai. There was a presence to both of the women that spoke of experience and knowledge. _

"_You are always welcome to help," Annie replied and then nodded to the refrigerator. "If you would, you can start on the salad." _

_Keiko nodded and moved towards the refrigerator. She pulled the door open and was confronted with the sight of gleaming white shelves overflowing with food. There was drawer marked crisper and when Keiko slid it open, she found a fresh head of lettuce, tomatoes, onions, peppers, carrots, broccoli, zucchini and fresh mushrooms. She gathered up the ingredients and carried them over to the sink to wash. She found that Annie already had a strainer waiting for her in the huge stainless steel sink._

_Keiko ran an admiring glance over the marble counter tops, and the sparkling black and gold tiles on the floor. To her right was a knife holder with a sharpener lying next to it. Her hands began to wash the vegetables, even as her mind was already planning how to prepare the salad. _

"_Do you have a set dressing?" Keiko questioned thoughtfully, feeling as much at home here as she did in her kitchen in Japan._

"_Not really," Annie replied after a quick glance at Keiko's face. _

"_Do you mind if I experiment?" Keiko asked._

"_Help yourself," Annie invited before turning away from the sink. _

_Annie moved away and pulled a cookie sheet from the shelves below the island in the middle of the kitchen. Then she went to the refrigerator and removed the homemade garlic sauce from it. She placed the bowl on the island and moved to the bread box set in the corner by the knives. She removed two fresh baked loaves and carried them over to the island after grabbing a knife from the holder. Annie placed the loaves on the pan and began to cut both into slices. With that done, she arranged the slices on the cookie sheet. Using a brush she pulled from a drawer next to the stove, Annie brushed the garlic and butter sauce over the slices. She flipped the slices over on the cookie sheet and repeated the process with the other side. Then slipped the cookie sheet into the oven. _

_While Annie had been preparing the garlic bread, Keiko had been searching the refrigerator for the ingredients she needed for a light salad dressing. It would keep it from being too strong and allow the natural flavor of the vegetables to shine through. She found several fresh lemons and a bottle of basil vinegar. She found several bottles of vegetable oil with fresh vegetables and fruit in the shelf next to the oven. Then she located a spice rack and selected several different spices, along with the fresh pepper grinder. _

_Keiko found a juicer in the walk in pantry and smiled to herself. It was going to be easy to make this salad dressing. She placed everything on the counter next to the sink and located the salad bowel. Keiko pulled a knife from the holder and glanced at the edge to see how sharp it was. The edge gleamed and Keiko nodded to herself. The knife was placed on the counter and Keiko automatically began to tear apart the lettuce. _

_Within minutes everything was sliced and diced and the dressing made. Keiko tossed the salad with the practiced ease. Annie moved around her quietly, pulling pans from the oven. Keiko breathed in the scent of lasagna and her mouth began to water. She placed her knives and the juicer into the sink. She began to quickly return everything to their place in the well-organized kitchen before wiping down the counter top. Keiko watched as Annie cut the lasagna into large pieces. The cheese bubbled and oozed with every slice of the knife and Keiko could actually feel her mouth begin to water. The smell was a brilliant symphony of cheese, sauce and meat. _

"_Go ahead and carry the salad on through to the dining room table," Annie told her with smile and pointed the way the rest of the gang had gone. Keiko nodded and picked up the bowl before moving cautiously from the room. _

_Within minutes the lasagna, garlic bread and the salad had been on the table. Dinner was a loud and boisterous affair with everyone talking at once, asking for stuff to be passed and arguments over everything from school to politics. Keiko had never experienced anything like it before. Everyone was so comfortable and secure in the knowledge that they weren't going to be judged. Keiko just sat at the table and soaked in the warmth, feeling the cold deep inside her beginning to thaw._

Keiko was brought out of her memories by a hand on her shoulder. She looked over to see Annie looking at her with concern shining in those pale green eyes. Keiko smiled and laid a hand over Annie's, shrugging at the question in those eyes. Annie smiled back and settled onto the couch next to her, instantly the three dogs circled around the couch and collapsed next to them.

"Want to tell me about it?" Annie queried, her hand coming out to catch Keiko's.

"I don't know," Keiko replied slowly, her head tipping to rest on Annie's shoulder. "I haven't discussed it with anyone yet."

"Why don't you tell me his name?"

"What makes you think it's a guy?" Keiko responded softly, her eyes closing.

Annie laughed and pressed a kiss to the top of Keiko's head. "I may have only given birth to one child, but I get claimed by several and I've raised too many to count. And all of them act the way you are when it comes to the opposite sex."

"I guess you're right," Keiko agreed but paused before continuing. "I've loved the same man since I was 5 years old. A week ago I found out that I was nothing but a nuisance to me and that he's dating one of my best friends."

"Hmm."

"I couldn't even confront him over it. I just…" Keiko paused and waved a hand in the air. "Ran away. Packed my bags and ran."

"Why didn't you talk to him?" Annie asked, her voice calm.

"Because I always thought I knew him better than anyone else. That with me he would never lie or pretend to be something he wasn't. Suddenly I couldn't trust anything coming out of his mouth."  
"I see."

The two of them fell silent, Keiko's head resting on Annie's shoulder while Annie stared at a picture on the mantle. Annie's expression was thoughtful and introspective as she met the bright blues eyes of the man in the picture. The cocky expression, the arms crossed over his chest and the dark hair pulled into a ponytail low on his neck. All of it reminded Annie that she had once been in Keiko's shoes and the decision had been taken from her when Justin had died. Annie had always regretted not giving Justin a chance to explain.

"What should I do?" Keiko asked finally, her eyes dry and anguished.

"I think that you should call him. If you don't you'll always wonder. Even if you're right in your suspicions, you'll have confirmation and won't spend the rest of your life wondering," Annie finally replied.

"I don't think that I could do that," Keiko shook her head and buried her face deeper into Annie's shoulder.

"Then wait a few days and think about it. You're going to busy for the next couple of days anyways." Annie soothed Keiko's hair back from her head and pressed another kiss to her head. "If at the end of those couple of days you can't bear to call him, then write a letter."

"You think I should?"

"I can't see the harm in it. If he doesn't answer then he's not worth the effort. If he does answer then at least you'll hear his side of it."

"Okay." Keiko paused and then pressed a kiss to Annie's cheek before bouncing off of the couch. "Thanks Mom," she tossed over her shoulder as she headed for the kitchen and the rest of the gang.

Annie watched her go with a smile. Her head shook slowly and she wondered how she always managed to collect the strays. Of course this stray brought danger with her. However Annie was confident that she could handle anything that came her way. It couldn't be any worse than what she had already faced.

"You should have sent her home," a man's voice stated harshly from behind her.

"I don't see why," Annie replied calmly, her gaze still staring after Keiko before shifting slowly to the picture on the mantle.

"You know why! She's Uremeshi's girl!" The man stepped closer to the couch, his hands clenching into fists. "There's a price on her head! Demons are going to be coming after her."

"Then I'll protect her the same way that I have protected all of the others," Annie responded, her voice serene and confident. "This school is built on holy grounds. With the extra shields and my guardians walking around, Keiko will be extremely safe. If it gets to be too dangerous for her to live on campus, I'll bring her here." Annie finally looked over her shoulder at the man. Her light green gaze met his burning blue eyes easily. "My land and house are the ultimate do not enter zone. Nothing will get through here unless I allow it."

The man shook his head at Annie, his expression resigned. "You are as stubborn as always," a smile crossed his face. "Just remember that Uremeshi, Kurama and Hiei are all demons."

"Uremeshi is half demon and only because 5,000 years ago his demon ancestor fell in love with a human girl," Annie paused and shook her head at the man. "You know as well as I do that the boy is in love with her and would never do anything to hurt any human, unless it was absolutely necessary." She paused and smiled at the man fondly, "he's not that much different from you and you didn't turn out that bad."

The man smiled in at the memory and reluctantly nodded. Annie smiled at him and reached out to grasp his hand in hers. "Why don't you pop over and let Junior and Enma know that we have her. And remind Enma that we have an agreement. He tries to get heavy handed over here and I'll rip him apart myself."

"I'll tell him."

"Just tell them not to worry. Nothing will happen to Kay while she's here."

"Of course."

"Thank you. Now go," Annie waved the man away as she got up and headed for the kitchen. Her voice rose to be heard of over the commotion in the kitchen, "anyone up for some games?"

"YEAH!"

OoxxoO

Yusuke Uremeshi was staring sightlessly out the window. His dark eyes seemed to be focused inward rather than on the beautiful mountain scene in front of him. Those dark eyes spoke of unimaginable torment and anguish. The serenity of the mountains was lost on him. His dark hair was messy and unbrushed and his clothes seemed slightly ratty and loose on his frame. It had been three days since he had read Keiko's note. The pain had yet to lessen, leaving him broken and useless.

He didn't remember much after reading the note. He could vaguely remember that Kurama and Kuwabara had helped him up. Botan had made excuses to Mrs. Yukimara and then followed the boys out of the shop and into the street. Everything after that was hazy and out of focus, except for the pain that seemed to consume him. When he had finally come back to his senses, Yusuke had been in his room at Genkai.

When he had first opened his eyes, he was met by the black eyes of Puu. In his eyes, Yusuke saw the same pain and anguish. He had instinctively reached out for Puu, wanting to comfort and be comforted by the animal that had been with Keiko. Puu had refused that comfort, instead biting and hissing at Yusuke, his dark eyes full of condemnation for the spirit detective. After that Yusuke had withdrawn from everyone and everything, content to remain alone with his memories of Keiko. That had been two days ago. He had yet to leave the room.

Yusuke couldn't explain why he didn't want to leave the room. Maybe it was because he was afraid once he left, everything would become real. Keiko would be gone.

Gone.

That word made him feel so empty, like there was a piece of him missing. An ache in his chest that seemed to grow with every hour that passed._Is this what Keiko felt when I died? _Yusuke wondered. _How did she manage to survive it? Let alone act normally?_

Yusuke crossed his arms over his white t-shirt and shifted against the wall. He wasn't sure that he could do it. He wasn't even sure he wanted to try and pretend. _Is it harder when the person is alive? At least when a person is dead, you can deal with never seeing them again. But when that person is alive, you're stuck with the knowledge that you'll see them day after day and not be able to touch them. _

"Yusuke?" Genkai's voice was hesitant in the silence of the room.

"Grandma," Yusuke responded without turning from the window, his own tone cold and emotionless.

"We need to talk."

"Not now."

"But Yusuke…" Genkai started, her hand reaching out to touch his shoulder.

"NO!" Yusuke jerked away from her. "I can't," he whispered as tears began to track down his face. "She's not gone. She's just mad at me," he whispered desperately, a sob catching in his throat. "I just have to find her and explain."

"Oh, Yusuke," Genkai whispered back, her heart hurting for the boy she had come to think of as her son. He meant more to her than any of the other detectives she had trained. Yusuke looked and acted like a punk, his attitude was in your face and he never made any apology for it. And yet, under that was an unwavering loyalty to a girl he talked about in his sleep.

Genkai could still remember that first night. Yusuke had been too tired to even move at the end of their training session. Not that he would admit to it. He was still spouting off about how he was going to kick her ass until he finally fell asleep. She had turned to walk away and then a name had fallen into the silence of the night. His tone was full of love and devotion, seeming to be issued from his lips like a prayer. Genkai couldn't help but respect that emotion and the woman who had caused it.

Staring at the broken boy in front of her, Genkai could think of no words to comfort him. The broken sobs and the tears now pouring from his cheeks rendered her useless. She wished she could hate Keiko but Botan had filled her in and Genkai could understand why Keiko had done it. Genkai knew that she hadn't handled it quite as well when her love had betrayed her. It had taken years for her to even begin to deal with the pain and betrayal. And Keiko had managed to bottle it down and continue to function normally.

In fact, Genkai couldn't help but admire Keiko for how she went about getting her revenge. A quick, clean blow that felled your enemy. In some ways Genkai admired Keiko for her control. She didn't break down, didn't demand explanations or retaliate without thought. Keiko had managed to keep control of her emotions and wait before delivering the blow. Definitely a woman to respect and fear.

Genkai almost wished that she had trained Keiko in Yusuke's place. She knew that Keiko had some spirit energy, though she wasn't sure if it was actually Keiko or from Yusuke's close bond with her. In some ways, Genkai was afraid that Yusuke had automatically bonded the two of them together without conscious knowledge. Which made this situation even worse. Because neither one of them would ever truly feel comfortable without the other. If the bonded pair got too far away from each other, both would become uneasy and react violently.

Now Genkai was left with trying to put Yusuke back together again. He had a mission coming up that would require all of his attention and Genkai didn't think that he could do it. She didn't even think he could concentrate long enough to fire a simple spirit gun, let alone take on a powerful demon. She sighed and brushed her hand over the boys' bent head.

"We'll figure it out Yusuke," Genkai promised as the boy collapsed against her. "I promise."

Botan turned away from the door and walked back into the main temple. Five pairs of eyes immediately turned towards her.

"He talking yet?" Kuwabara asked roughly, his dark eyes fixed on hers.

"Crying," Botan replied with a small shrug.

"Well what are we going to do?" Kuwabara asked. "We've got a mission and he can't handle it right now."

"I don't know," Botan responded with a frown at the young man.

"She crippled him," Hiei observed from the corner, his arms crossed in front of him and his eyes fixed on the floor. "Why do you think that I went after her? She's his weakest length and greatest strength. And everyone in demon and spirit world knows it."

"Hiei's right," Kurama added. "If nothing else we have to try and find her to warn her about the danger. Demons wouldn't be tempted here in Tokyo, where Yusuke is almost always with her but now that she went to the States…" his voice drifted off and he shrugged slightly.

"It'll be harder to get her," Koenma offered with a shrug, his bangs semi concealing his eyes. "The United States is ruled by a different God. Different set of rules," he explained when they glanced at him confused. "While we have spirit detectives here, there they have psychics. There are quite a few over there that could give Yusuke a run for his money." Koenma finally met each of their gazes," beside we have no authority over there. My father or I step foot over there and we are toast." He glanced towards Yusuke's room his expression defeated.

"So what can we do," Yukina questioned. "We can't just let Keiko go on thinking that all of us betrayed her."

"Unless Keiko comes home or contacts us in someway, I'm afraid my hands are tied," Koenma replied.

"You are so right," a new voice spoke out of the darkness.

Everyone went on alert. Yukina was shoved behind Kuwabara roughly, even as Kuwabara's spirit sword grew in his hand. Kurama and Hiei's eyes searched the entire room, their demon senses searching the air around them for the threat. Hiei's sword slid easily into his hand, and Kurama's rose whip grew instantly.

"That won't help you know," the voice continued offhandedly. "As Junior can tell you. Isn't that right Junior?"

Everyone glanced at the ruler in confusion before glancing around the room again. Koenma shook his head at the voice, already knowing who it was. His dark eyes remained fixed straight ahead, his expression calm as he waited for the figure to appear.

"What? No demands this time Junior?" The voice was mocking now, a low laugh resounding around the room. "You've grown up a bit. But I suppose going against daddy does that to a boy."

Hiei struck suddenly. His sword slicing through the air in the corner, his lips twisting upwards in a smirk. Only to frown when his blade stopped in mid air. A figure slowly came into focus out of the shadows. One hand was wrapped around Hiei's blade, unconcerned with the blood slowly seeping from his hand. His bright blue eyes met Hiei's dark eyes before releasing the sword. As Hiei's blade slipped free the wounds on the man's hand healed instantly.

He took a step around the fire demon as if unconcerned with any danger Hiei might pose. As the man stepped into the light from the window, the gang could see he was wearing blue jeans, black boots and a black dress shirt. The sleeves were carelessly rolled up around his elbows. He was at least 6' 4", and while he seemed slight, there was a control in the way he moved that spoke of danger.

"Who are you and what do you want?" Kurama demanded.

"I'm here to deliver a message to Junior from my…" the man paused and smiled. "My master, I guess you could say."

"Who is your master and what…" Kurama started only to stop when Koenma held up a hand.

"Go ahead Justin," Koenma encouraged. "What does she have to say?"

"Annie sends her best regards of course," Justin smiled at Koenma and stuck his hand in his pockets,

"And?"

"Is there supposed to be something else?" Justin asked innocently, his blue eyes wide in his face.

"Justin, just tell him," Genkai spoke up suddenly from the corner of the room.

Justin looked over at her, his shoulders shrugging even as he offered her a smile. "You are always a kill joy Genkai," he complained lightly.

"I'm old. And I don't have much time lft," Genkai tossed back as she crossed the room to stand beside Koenma.

"Fine," Justin sighed and pouted slightly. "Annie has Keiko. She wants me to inform you that Keiko is fine and will remain fine. Unless," his voice abruptly hardened and he took a step towards them, "you or your father gets heavy handed. In which case she's going to come over her and personally tear you limb from limb."

"HA! I'd like to see her try!" Kuwabara shouted at him, his expression belligerent.

"Enough Kuwabara," Koenma sighed and shook his head in slight apology at Justin.

"She still hasn't forgiven us yet has she?" He mused as he stared at the young man.

"Did you think she would?" Justin responded quietly, his blue eyes steady on Koenma's.

"No."

"Is Keiko okay?" Yusuke asked, his voice unsteady.

Justin turned and met Yusuke's anguished eyes. He sighed and shrugged his shoulders; sometimes it was damn annoying the way that Annie was always right. Justin took a deep breath and walked over to Yusuke, his steps echoing in the sudden silence.

"Well," Yusuke demanded, anger in his tone now. His hands clenching and unclenching as he watched the man come closer to him.

"She's fine," Justin finally answered. "Annie is well adept to handle upset strays. Keiko is upset but Annie has calmed her down." Justin paused and rocked back on his heels, eyes measuring the boy in front of him. "You know there are easier ways to tell your girlfriend you're breaking up with her and dating her best friend."

"WHAT?!"

"I would never," Yusuke protested hotly, his voice rising to be heard over the shouting from the rest of the group. "Do that to Keiko. She's my life. And who am I dating anyways?"

"Her," Justin pointed at Botan, who gulped and shook her head and tried to hide behind Kurama. "Or at least that's what Keiko believes."

"How…" Yusuke's voice broke and he had to swallow before continuing. "How did she get that?"

"Who knows?" Justin shrugged carelessly and turned away from the group. "I'm just the messenger. Though I do suggest you find a way to convince her quickly. Things have a way of snowballing if left too long." With that Justin was gone, leaving the gang alone in the temple again.

"At least we don't have to worry about demons getting a hold of Keiko," Genkai spoke slowly into the silence.

"Why not?" Kuwabara demanded. "I don't think that a girl could beat the demons that Uremeshi has ticked off."

"Actually," Koenma responded slowly. "I would be more worried about the demons. Annie is not nice to intruders and her guardians do not take to trespassers well." He glanced over at Yusuke. "Keiko is in the best possible hands in the States. There is nothing that can get close to her without going through Annie."

Yusuke nodded once and then left the room. There was a new spring in his step, a determination that hadn't been there a minute ago. He now knew what had upset Keiko and he could fix it. All he had to do was finally admit that he had never loved anyone else and propose. A smile touched his face for the first time in days and a soft hoot sounded in his ear. Puu landed on his shoulder with a rush of air and nuzzled against Yusuke's cheek. Yusuke reached up and scratched under his chin, "I understand now Pal. Let's go get the woman we love, huh?"

OoxxoO

**A/N:**Well there's a new chapter. I hope that this was quick enough. It was much easier to write. And we are getting closer to the end now. I think it should only be a couple of chapters more. Hope that you enjoyed it. Let me know what you think. 


	10. The Past

**_Title:_**Keiko's Revenge

**_Author:_**Bradybunch4529

**_Summary: _**Keiko overhears a conversation between the gang that causes her to leave everything behind.

**_Disclaimers:_** Yu Yu Hakusho and everything related is not mine.

**_Rating: _**PG-13

**_Pairings:_** Keiko/Yusuke Botan/Koenma Kurama/OC

**A/N:**This is a look at the past. It's a flashback chapter for the most part. If you guys would like to hear it from Annie's point of view, let me know in your review. Enjoy!

**Reviewers:**

**AnnechanB:**Yep. Justin and Annie! They'll get explained in this chapter. It'll still be awhile before Yusuke and Keiko get back together. Even when they do, Keiko is going to be at Harvard for the next four years. Thanks for letting me know what you thought. So sorry this one took so long. I was really unsure about which direction this chapter should go. I hope you enjoy it as much as the last one.

**Cerridwene:** I'm glad that his anguish came through so well. I was really worried about over doing it. I am such a terrible person though, making him suffer that way. The last line made me smile too. It is so nice to have our Yusuke back, is it not?

**Spede:**Definitely not upset. And not a Keiko's college life fic, I just wanted to introduce the rest of the players. I am sorry if you were upset by it. I like the effect of Keiko's note too. It took me awhile to figure out what would be the best way to do it. So I'm glad that it made an impact. I hope you enjoyed chapter nine more and that 10 didn't disappoint you.

**Escptheshdw835:**Thanks for sticking with me for so long. I always look for your review. Justin and Annie get explained in this chapter. I know that the last chapter had some twists and turns. Hopefully this one does too.

**Alaskantiger:**Good! I'm so glad that you enjoyed the story. Keep coming back and letting me know what you think.

**Kenshinlover2002:**Yusuke definitely knows what the problem is now. Hopefully he'll be able to fix it. This chapter is a little off track, going back into the past a bit. But let me know what you think about it.

**XSweEtPanDaBOOX:** Depressing? It will get better soon. These next couple of chapters will be full of twists and turns. Thanks for reading my story and liking it enough to let me know. Tell me what you think of this one.

**Rose Angelz:** Hopefully they will! But both of them are very stubborn. So it'll take a while to convince Keiko. Thanks for coming back.

**Donamarine:** Don't worry about not reviewing for awhile. I understand about the story. They do consume you. Annie and Justin get explained in this chapter. Later Enma and Annie are going to go head to head. I'm thrilled that you like the story despite it being a romance. It will get fluffy soon, though. Let me know what you think of this chapter.

**Apathetic Empath:** Cute user name. I absolutely loved it! I am so glad that you enjoyed the Keiko/Hiei interaction. I worked really hard to keep it to his personality. I am sorry about the dialogue, I hope that it is improving. I'm sorry that the first chapter felt rushed, hopefully the later chapters didn't. Thanks for letting me know what I need to improve. Let me know what you think of this chapter.

**Silver Eyes Bright: **I made you cry? I am so glad that my story was that good and that I am not the only one who cried. I always get a little wrapped up in my characters. I plan to continue the story until the bitter end. I hope that this chapter, though it is a step out from the story, meets your expectations. Let me know, please.

Chapter 10: The Past

"Explain," Kurama demanded.

"About?" Koenma asked

"The man that was just here."

"Oh, him."

"Yes him."

Koenma paused and looked over at Genkai, their eyes meeting and holding for a very long time. There was a silent communication in that glance, a weighing of the pros and cons. The room had remained quiet until Yusuke had left the room. There had been a lightening of the mood when he had decided to go after Keiko but now they were worried.

Kurama had been the first to broach the subject they were all curious about. Whoever this Justin was, he had no fear of Keonma and King Enma. The fact that the person who sent him had actually threatened King Enma and obviously expected the King to listen had caught their attention.

"Annie is one of the psychics I was telling you about," Koenma finally admitted. His dark eyes serious and his tone resigned. "In fact, she's probably one of the most powerful beings on this planet but I didn't know that when I first met her." He paused and looked over at Genkai, who shook her head slightly and turned to stare out the window.

"There were a couple demons that managed to escape to the states. And these demons were not of the nice quality." Koenma paced slowly back and forth, lost in his memories. "It was decided that it would be a good idea for us to send our Spirit Detective after them. These demons were wanted on multiple charges and we really didn't want it thought by demons that the States were an escape zone."

"By the time our Spirit Detective got over there the demons had already caused the deaths of several hundred people," Genkai continued the explanation. Her voice was rough and thoughtful as she continued, "by that time Annie had already taken on three of the demons.

_**Flashback:**_

The rain was pounding down, drenching everything in a matter of seconds. Through flashes of lightening and the roll of thunder, Genkai could hear the sounds of the fight. The spirit detective had already gone down and Genkai had truly believed that she was getting ready to meet her own death.

_She could still feel the demons' burning touch and its breath hot against her chilled flesh. How could it have gone this wrong? She wondered. When did the demons get this powerful? Koenma and Enma had made no mention of the demons being S class. Yet, Genkai could still feel the shock of that first blow and had realized that they were way over their heads. While her name was whispered fearfully among some of the demon community, there was no fear in the five demons they had found._

_Genkai had wondered what had happened to the other three demons. The assignment had been for 8 demons. It was possible that they had turned on each other and three had been killed. But now, lying in the pool of water with the rain still pounding down on her head, Genkai had found what had killed the other three demons._

_The girl stood staring up at the demon in front of her, a smile on her lips and no fear in her gaze. The rain didn't seem to affect the girl at all, in fact she seemed to delight in the coolness of the rain and the raging of the storm around her. Two of the demons had already fallen to the girl and she had pulled Genkai and the young girl with her over to the side. _

_Genkai had felt the strength and the conviction in the girls grip; see the burning determination in her eyes. Her voice had been calm and without hesitation as she whispered in Genkai's ear._

"_You take your detective and you run Genkai. I'll handle the demons and no matter what happens don't look back."_

_Instead all Genkai had done was lay in the rain and watch. She didn't know what the girl was doing but it was crippling the demons. As far as Genkai could see, there had been no physical attack from the girl. All the attacks had come from the demons and yet none had managed to lay a finger on her. Instead, it was the demons that were falling._

_A scream deafened Genkai and jerked her back into the present. She stared through the driving rain, straining to see if the girl had fallen. But the rain and the darkness were absolute and she could see nothing. A sound in the rain, a squishing footstep had Genkai tensing and readying herself for attack. _

_To her amazement it was the girl that appeared out of the darkness. There was no sign that she had even been in a fight. Her clothes were drenched from the rain but intact. There was no bruising or scratches on the girl as she knelt before Genkai. For long moments neither said anything, staring deep into the other's eyes. _

_In those green eyes, Genkai saw power and serenity. It seemed to reach out and wrap around you, offering peace from your own demons. The eyes were so unusual; light green with brown and gold flecks strewn in them and from the pupil a pinwheel was drawn in brown. The girls' hand on her cheek came as a surprise to Genkai, she had been so caught up in those eyes. _

_Despite the cold of the rain, the girls' hand was warm and comforting on her skin. Her hand pressed lightly against Genkai's cheek and Genkai could feel her eyes get heavy. Even as she tried to fight off the effects, Genkai knew that she had lost. Sleep dropped over her like a warm blanket and she knew no more. _

_It was morning when Genkai opened her eyes. She was back in her temple and the spirit detective was sleeping soundly beside her. She and the detective had been put into dry clothing and their wet things hung up. The suitcases they had taken with them, stood beside the door. Of the girl who had saved them, there was no sign. _

End Flashback

"And that was the first time I ever met her," Genkai finished. Her voice was loud in the silence of the temple.

"It's not possible," Hiei protested. "I would have heard about it."

"Ordinarily you would be right," Koenma agreed. "But Father deemed that information to volatile to be released. It was decided that Genkai and the spirit detective would take credit for the killings." Koenma shrugged his shoulders and met each of their gazes. "Father took care of everything after that."

"So what got her so pissed? 'Cause I'm not hearing anything that would lead to death threats," Kuwabara suddenly demanded. "I mean come on! A girl doing that is insane. She'd have to be like Uremeshi…" his voice trailed off. "She was a demon?"

"My father thought that she was," Koenma replied. "But I didn't know that until I saw her again."

"Again?" Kurama questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes. And that's the beginning of this story."

Flashback

The doors at the entrance of the castle swept open suddenly. Thunder and lightening shook the castle and a howling wind rushed down the open corridor. Koenma glanced up as the wind battered at his door and then it burst open. Several of his troll helpers tumbled in and papers whirled into the air. Keonma could feel the rage building inside of him and he was getting ready to yell when a blur of motion at his door made rendered him speechless.

The girl standing in his doorway was beautiful. Her body was encased in snow-white armor that hugged every curve and dip of her body. Her long blond hair fell to the floor in a riot of curves. She herself seemed to be glowing, pulsing with each breath she took. Her green eyes were burning brightly and it seemed that flames were contained within them. In her hand a golden staff gleamed brightly, the gold seeming to conform to her hand.

Her power swirled unchecked and uncontained into his office. He could feel sweat beginning to trickle down his cheek as he met that burning green gaze. The pain, anguish and rage in them almost brought him to his knees. Fear suddenly rose in his throat and he wondered if he was going to die.

"Where is your father?" The woman gritted out. Her voice was harsh in the silence.

"Excuse me?" Koenma drew himself up and faced the woman head on. "You can not just come into…"

"Enma! Appear now or I'll kill your child!" The woman didn't raise her voice or look away from Koenma as she spoke.

There was a deep rumbling, a sudden rush of wind and then Enma was rising out of a wall of fire. Koenma took a small step back at the anger burning in his fathers' eyes.

"Well, so there you are," the woman purred as she stared up at Enma without blinking.

"You are not welcome here demon," Enma rumbled.

"Demon am I? Is that why your little squad came to see me?" The girl asked as she stepped further into the room.

"Of course you are."

"Really?"

"And I will have you killed."

The girl laughed at that. The sound was grating and full of pain as it rebounded in the large room. She shook her head at Enma, her hand clenching on the staff. Koenma took another step back, his eyes fearful as he stared at first his father and then at the girl.

"I would like to see you try it," the girl hissed. "I know exactly who you are and what you are."

"I doubt that little girl," Enma scoffed. "And even if you do, what makes you think that you are powerful enough to take me on?"

A smile touched the girls' mouth, her face lighting with a dark humor as she stepped forward. She tilted her head to the side and her mocking gaze met Enma's burning one. "You haven't asked about your team, Enma. The one's you sent after me," she finally responded.

"I'm sure that they'll be along soon," Enma stated, trying to ignore the fear slowly traveling up his spine.

"Are you?" She asked with another smile. "In that case, I believe that these are yours."

The girls' hand, which had been hidden behind her back, came forward. In her hand was clenched the hair of the heads of the spirit squad. Koenma could feel his breath catching in his throat at the sight. Their faces were twisted in agony and fear; blood dripping onto the tiled floor. The girls' face was twisted into a semblance of a smile as she met Enma's suddenly fearful gaze. She threw the heads onto the ground in front of Enma.

Koenma closed his eyes at the sound of the heads striking the floor. It was a dull thunking sound that multiplied as the heads rolled. There were smears of blood on the floor and the faces were staring sightlessly up at Enma, their gazes seeming to plead with their king.

"It's very simple," her voice was loud in the silence and yet so soft. Each word was carefully measured and enunciated. "We both know that you tried to do something very stupid. Probably thought I didn't have my full power. Don't think that because I am currently in this form that I can not and will not kill you." She paused and stepped closer to Enma, her hand clenching and unclenching on the golden staff. "As of now you will stay away from the United States. You will stay away from everyone I care about. If I even get a hint that you have ordered a hit I will come back here and I will destroy you."

Koenma watched in stunned silence as his father nodded. "I will do as you ask." He paused for a moment before continuing, "may I ask what happened."

The girl had turned away after he had agreed but paused for a moment at his question. Then she began moving again, her boots clicking on the tiles with each step. For a moment, Koenma believed that she wasn't going to answer but at the door she paused. Her hand resting on the door, fingers curling around the wood, her eyes an anguished green with tears shimmering in them.

"You killed the man I loved and the father of my child, Enma."

**End Flashback**

A/N: I hope that this chapter provided enough twists. I know that it didn't go the way I planned it to go. I stopped it before I wanted but I also thought it was a good place to end. See you in the next chapter. Thanks for stopping by and make sure you let me know what you think.


	11. Betrayal

**_Title:_**Keiko's Revenge

**_Author:_**Bradybunch4529

**_Summary: _**Keiko overhears a conversation between the gang that causes her to leave everything behind.

**_Disclaimers:_** Yu Yu Hakusho and everything related is not mine.

**_Rating: _**PG-13

**_Pairings:_** Keiko/Yusuke Botan/Koenma

**Reviewers:**

**Apathetic Empath: **You are prolific aren't you? I've really enjoyed your reviews. You are always honest with me. What you like and what you don't. I am sorry that most of my chapters seem rushed to you. I hope that this one doesn't. It just flowed from my fingers, so easy and so moving. I do like your username; it reminds me of me. Fighting? Oh you better believe it. Bonding? HMMM. I wonder? I'm really glad you liked the shower scene and Yusuke's reaction. I worked really hard on that chapter. It was wrenching to write and to proof. I didn't portray Annie right if you thought it was too fast. Hopefully she gets explained better in this chapter. If not let me know. As for Cassie's friends, I modeled them after my own group of friends. I know there were a lot of them, but they aren't going to be too big in the future really. Chapter 7 was one of my hardest chapters. And no, I could never hate you. I hope that this chapter meets your expectations.

**KatsunoCZ:**I hope I got the username right, sometimes I miss them. I'm thrilled you took a chance with my story. Especially since you have never seen Yu Yu Hakusho. The fact that my descriptions are good enough that you could follow the story, makes me blush. I'm thrilled that everything was vivid enough for you.

**Cerridwene:**Annie and Enma do not get along. We'll have to see about whether or not Keiko is safe with her though.

**Kenshinlover2002:** I hope that everything gets explained in the chapter. If there are still questions let me know and I'll make sure to specifically answer them in this section.

**Arano: **You are right. My mistake. Thanks for letting me know. I fixed it immediately after you pointed it out. I hope that this chapter is better. Let me know what you think.

**Escptheshw835:**I'm glad that you enjoyed the chapter. I've been getting mixed reviews. I'm beyond thrilled that the descriptions worked out in this chapter. Different type of story? I'm ecstatic that you think so. I was afraid I was getting too pat. I hope this chapter meets your expectations.

**Donamarine: **That is why. Justin was the man killed. Remember that Annie is a psychic and she does see dead people. For her Justin is still alive. This chapter should be a kick in the teeth, I hope.

**Silver Eyes Bright:** I do adore your username. So very original. There are some really good ones and for the life of me I cannot think of them. There is one in particular that is my absolute fav but I haven't been able to find it. I can recommend that you just start at the very end of the section and work your way back. And I so agree. All the stories are about the boys or Yus/Botan. I just don't get those. Ah well, (huge sigh). You should definitely put yours up, that is why I finally put my own up. I'm thrilled you are enjoying the story. It does have so many possibilities. I may even wind up doing a sequel. I hope you enjoy the newest chapter as much.

**Alaskantiger:**Hopefully this is soon enough. :P Annie is definitely not someone to cross. Let me know what you think of this chapter.

Chapter 11: Betrayal

Keiko Yukimara tilted her head back, delighting in the feeling of warmth from the sun against her skin. Her brown hair spilled around her shoulders, lifting in the gentle breeze. She took a deep breath and delighted in the smell of pine trees and fresh cut grass. The grass under her hands tickled her palms and she couldn't help but smile. There was something to be said for ignoring everything and just relaxing on a warm summer day.

It had been 3 weeks since Keiko had arrived. In that time she had met with the Registrar, finalized her class schedule and got her books for the semester. Cassie and her gang had taken Keiko on a tour of the campus and had shown her where all of her classes were located. They had taken her to the movies, the theme park and on multiple nature hikes but somehow they always ended up at the house.

For the most part Keiko hadn't really thought about Yusuke. She had been too busy to worry about the idiot but late at night she couldn't help but wonder what he was doing. Keiko tried to convince herself that she didn't care that Yusuke hadn't bothered to call, but deep down she knew that she was lying to herself. There was a tiny kernel of hope that he would have called or at least written her a letter. But he never had. And despite Annie's advice, Keiko hadn't been able to bring herself to call or write either.

In fact, Keiko couldn't help but wonder if maybe she was the one who had overreacted. After all, she hadn't heard the entire conversation and she knew Yusuke better than anyone. He covered his feelings up with bravado and bluff, even with her. Keiko had been so upset that she couldn't concentrate on his eyes. For her, his eyes had always told the truth. No matter what he said, she could always see the truth in those hazel depths.

So now she was ashamed. Keiko knew that she should have talked with Yusuke and Botan. Instead she was hiding here and avoiding calling home. Her dark brown eyes flickered open and stared into the brilliant blue sky. Now the question was, what was she going to do next?

"Hey Kay!" Cassie's shout brought Keiko's attention back to the game taking place in front of her.

"What?" Keiko hollered back, a laugh bubbling out at the sight of the group in front of her.

"Get off your butt and get back into the game," Cassie called and waved a hand at Keiko.

Keiko laughed and shook her head, but got up and ran to join the dirt covered and sweaty group. They immediately welcomed her into the group, laughing and joking with each other. It was the 4th of July and Annie had decided that a barbeque before the fireworks would be a great way to celebrate. There were members of the faculty, people from the town and tons of kids running around.

While the barbeque was going, with Annie firmly in charge of that, Cassie had come up with the bright idea of a game of football. Everyone had agreed and teams had been chosen. Even the dean of the university and several of the professors got into the game. Keiko had been confused when a football had been produced, suddenly unsure of the game they were getting ready to play.

Annie had seen her confusion and quickly explained the game. Keiko had been a little nervous about playing, but after the first couple of plays had settled into the game. It wasn't about skill or even who won. They were playing for the sheer pleasure of it. There was laughter and catcalls from the sidelines, arguments about end zones and the downs from the players.

Even Keiko had to admit that the game was exhilarating. The sun beating down, a soft breeze, the smell of grass and summer in the air. The sensation of spinning around opposing players, the snap of the ball through the air and the slap of it as it hit your chest. The shock of getting tackled, the pile up and the instant argument over how far you had gotten.

Hours had passed. People had wandered away and others had joined in. There were people standing around discussing everything from the war, classical literature to the latest gossip. Keiko loved it. At this moment in time there were no worries and no tomorrows right now.

Yusuke Uremeshi knew that getting to America wasn't going to be easy. He just hadn't known that it would be almost impossible. At every corner he had run into another problem. First there was the issue of the passport, which took over 3 months to validate, the price of the tickets and even finding her.

After 3 weeks of being stonewalled, Yusuke was getting ready to start blasting everyone in his path. All he wanted to do was to get to Keiko and explain, no more and no less. Instead, all anyone could do was interfere and tell him no. Yusuke ran a hand through his black hair and wondered how long before he started ripping it out.

Yusuke knew that he could have called her or even wrote her a letter. But he knew his Keiko; she would yell at him and then slam the phone down in his ear if he called. If he wrote, Keiko would probably burn the damn things and send him the ashes for the sheer hell of it. His eyes narrowed, he definitely knew the woman he loved and she was good at making him feel tiny.

Which made this entire situation absolutely absurd. Keiko should have confronted him about this. Any other time and Keiko would have pounded him into the ground. He just didn't understand why she didn't this time. Botan and Yukina had tried to explain that this was a bit different, that Keiko had believed that he was in love with someone else. But Yusuke didn't by that. His Keiko wasn't afraid of anything and had never thought twice about getting in his face.

Puu hooted in his ear and Yusuke looked up, surprised at the thought of company. He had been staying at Genkai's and training to work out his frustrations. The old bitty wasn't taking it easy on him, or treating him any different than she had when he had first shown up. She had been pushing hard, honing his response and instincts. She had even taken to surprising him at odd times, during dinner, in the shower, and at night in bed. So now there were new holes in the walls that he spent most of his free time fixing the next day.

As the figure came closer, he could see that it was Kurama and Botan. Yusuke waved as Puu hooted again, settling on top of Yusuke's head. As he watched them approach, he couldn't help but notice the closeness between them. Over the past couple of weeks, Yusuke had notice that the two of them would get caught in the corner together or talking quietly. Not that it was any of his business, Yusuke decided.

"Hey guys," Yusuke called, smiling at the two.

"Yusuke," Kurama greeted with a smile. "How are you doing?"

"Alright."

"Really?"

Yusuke paused, his gaze turning to stare out into the distance. He wondered how he should respond.

"Yusuke?" Botan spoke hesitantly, unsure if she should disturb the spirit detective.

"I feel like a part of me is missing," Yusuke finally responded, his tone soft and thoughtful.

"I understand," Kurama assured him. "I too went through something similar when I lost my demon partner."

"Buck up Yusuke," Botan smiled at him. "I'm sure that you and Keiko will work this out."

"Thanks guys." Yusuke shrugged his shoulders and turned to head for the temple. "So what brings you guys up here today?"

"Well, Koenma contacted us and said there was something all of us needed to discuss," Kurama explained as he and Botan followed Yusuke to the temple.

"Hmm. Grandma didn't mention anything," Yusuke replied thoughtfully. "Of course I haven't been paying too much attention to her lately." He laughed and rubbed the back of his head with his right hand. "Had other things on my mind."

"Of course you have," Botan agreed as the three of them entered the temple.

In the main room Genkai and Koenma were talking quietly to each other. Both of their expressions were grim when they glanced at Yusuke before continuing to talk quietly. Yukina and Kuwabara were over in one corner, with Kuwabara laughing loudly at something. Yukina was smiling but her gaze kept flickering from Hiei to Koenma and Genkai.

"Hey grandma," Yusuke called as he headed towards her. "What's going on?"

"Demons," Genkai replied without looking away from Koenma.

"Really?" Yusuke questioned enthusiastically. "I've been needing to kick something's ass. Demons sound like just the ticket." He cracked his knuckles and grinned over his shoulder. "What do you guys say? Up to kickin' some demon butt?"

"You bet," Kuwabara agreed.

"Hn," Hiei didn't glance up from where he was polishing his sword and glaring at Kuwabara.

"It would be a good release," Kurama agreed. He glanced at Botan and found her watching him with worried eyes. He smiled slightly at her before glancing at Genkai and Koenma. "But I have a feeling it's not that easy is it?"

"No it is not," Koenma agreed. His voice was tired and his dark eyes were slightly anguished as met Yusuke's. "The demons aren't in Japan." He paused and took a deep breath.

"O-kay," Yusuke drawled. "Why do I get the feeling you're hiding something from me?" He asked casually, arms folding across his chest and eyes flashing fire at Koenma.

"They are going after Keiko," Genkai admitted when Koenma remained silent.

"They're what!" Yusuke hollered as he charged up to Koenma. His fist wrapping around Koenma's neck and pulling him off his feet. "How did they manage that?"

"My father," Koenma admitted, wrapping a hand around Yusuke's wrist.

"How?" Kurama asked as Yusuke continued to glare at Koenma.

"He wants to break you, Yusuke. The best way to do that is to get Keiko," Genkai explained. "I guess Enma felt that going against Annie was worth the cost to get Keiko."

"We've got to get there," Kuwabara exclaimed. "Uremeshi, do somethin'!"

"Shut up idiot," Hiei ordered from the corner, arms crossed over his chest as he watched Yusuke.

Yusuke threw Koenma away from him, spinning away from the group and heading for the door. Everyone watched in silence, trying to decide what to do now.

"Yusuke. Where are you going?" Koenma asked as he got to his feet.

"To get Keiko," Yusuke replied calmly.

"And how are you going to get there?" Botan asked in exasperation.

Yusuke didn't reply. He walked out of the temple and down the steps and everyone scrambled to keep up with the spirit detective. When he reached the bottom of the steps, Yusuke reached a hand out and Puu hovered in front of me. The two were silent for a long moment, black eyes meeting hazel eyes in silent communication. Suddenly, Yusuke threw his head back and screamed. A bright light suddenly surrounded the two of them.

When the rest of the group could see again, Puu was in his giant bird form and as black as night. His black eyes were a burning red, his feathers and tail resembling black flames, as he screeched his dominance into the air. Yusuke hand was resting lightly on Puu's shoulder, his face titled up to the bird. His black hair was brushing the ground now, spiked around his face. There were designs and patterns etched onto his skin, and his eyes when they turned to face them were darker and colder than before.

His power was a crackling field around him. It swirled around them and merged with Puu as the two of them faced the rest of the group. Yusuke's mouth opened, "Puu is going to take me." His voice was cold and determined.

"I'm going too Uremeshi," Kuwabara shouted and stumbled down the steps towards him. "Don't think you are going to leave me behind."

"As will I," Kurama agreed and walked down the stairs.

"I might as well," Hiei agreed. "It's not like there is anything to do here."

Yusuke nodded. Puu stretched his wings out and kneeled on the ground. In seconds the four boys were in place on Puu. Yusuke looked down at Koenma and Genkai, "I'm going to find your father and kick his ass when this is done."

"I'll help," Koenma promised.

Their eyes held for a long time before Yusuke nodded. "Let's go Puu."

Puu's wings began to flap, dirt stirring as he built up speed to take off. Then with a leap into the air and a beat of his wings, they were airborne. As Puu lifted into the air, a black hole developed before them and in an instant Puu was gone.

"Didn't know the idiot could do that," Genkai commented as she turned back towards her temple.

"Think they'll be in time," Koenma asked.

"It all depends on where the demons find Keiko," Genkai replied, her steps light on the wooden steps. "If she is at Annie's, the boys will have plenty of time. If they manage to get her when she's not around Annie, no."

"What a mess."

"Indeed."

Night had fallen in Boston. The fireworks were long over and Keiko was lying outside in the grass with Cassie. Everyone else had left, leaving only Cassie, Keiko and Annie at the house. Around them Keiko could hear the sounds of an owl hooting in the distance and of crickets singing in the tall grass. It was hard to believe that just a few miles away lay a busy intersection in the silence of the nature surrounding them.

"Did you have fun?" Cassie asked lazily, her voice strangely hushed.

"I did," Keiko replied, smiling over at the girl laying on her back in the tall grass.

"I'm glad. We can be kinda overwhelming at times." Cassie turned over and rested her head on her hands; elbows bent a placed on the ground. Her legs kicked lazily in the air, as she stared over at her new friend. "Mom's big on gatherings. Lots of people, food, kids and games." Cassie laughed lightly. "Moms' got a lot of different friends."

"I noticed that," Keiko rolled over onto her stomach and struck the same pose as Cassie. But her brown eyes were fixed on the light shining from the window in the kitchen. "Your mom kinda attracts people."

"I have yet to meet someone that Mom considers a stranger," Cassie admitted. "In fact, I've seen people that have just met her tell her their life story." She shrugged, her hand lazily pulling grass and tossing it in the air.

"I wonder why?"

"Never figured it out. But everyone does it."

"Hmm." Keiko paused for a moment, her eyes drifting over the house and the trees. "When I first met your mom it was like coming home. Being here is like a safe harbor after rough seas, you know?"

"What?" Cassie asked surprised. Her brow creasing in confusion; she had never heard that explanation before.

"All your worries disappear, your fears subside," Keiko shrugged, slightly embarrassed now. "I knew that I was safe and your mom cared."

"I suppose that is one way of putting it," Cassie allowed and grinned at Keiko. "And it's a pretty good analogy. I'm impressed."

"Not that good," Keiko demurred, her head shaking slightly. "Was your dad the same way?" Keiko ventured timidly.

"I never met him," Cassie explained. She rolled onto her back and stared up at the moon, her hands tucked under her head.

"I'm sorry," Keiko apologized. "I shouldn't have asked."

"Don't worry about it. Dad died years ago," Cassie explained and looked over at Keiko. "Mom told me that he died right after she found out she was pregnant."

"How?"

"Mom said some kind of accident," Cassie frowned slightly. "She told me that he was her best friend since they were little. I get the impression that he was a little on the wild side."

"Your mom with a hoodlum?" Keiko asked, amazed.

"I suppose so," Cassie looked over at Keiko and they both burst into laughter. "Can you just see it?" Cassie asked through her laughter.

"Oh my God!" Keiko laughed.

"Pretty little humans," a voice rasped out of the darkness.

Keiko and Cassie sat up, eyes scanning the night. There was nothing but shadows and trees. "Did you hear that?" Cassie whispered to Keiko, her eyes still staring into the woods.

"Yes," Keiko responded. Her hand reached for Cassie's, "we should go inside."

"Okay," Cassie agreed and allowed Keiko to pull her up.

"Where are you going?" This voice was closer, almost in their ears.

Cassie and Keiko spun around, hands tightening around each other's. A shadow rose out of the ground in front of them, its red eyes glowing in the darkness. Cassie and Keiko screamed, scrambling backwards away from the figure. They slammed into something standing behind them. A glance over their shoulders showed another shape with gleaming red eyes.

Keiko bit back another scream and glanced around them. They were completely surrounded with no way out. She couldn't understand why the demons would be coming after her here. She pulled on Cassie's hand, spinning her to face the threat behind them. All she had to do was distract them long enough for Cassie to get to the house. Keiko slammed her foot down on the foot of the demon in front of her.

A shrill scream split the silence of the night and the demon began to hop on one foot. Keiko didn't have time to reflect on the sheer amusement of that picture, she tugged on Cassie's hand and pulled her along. Cassie caught on quickly and the two ran past the demon and to the house. Instantly the sound of pursuit came to their ears as the demons regrouped.

Keiko knew there was no way they were going to make it to the house. A demon suddenly appeared in front of the. Cassie gave a small shriek and the two girls drew up short. Keiko stepped in front of Cassie and stared fearlessly up at the demon, chocolate brown eyes glaring at the demon.

"They have nothing to do with this," Keiko told the demon. "Let them go."

"Aren't you a funny human?" Laughter met her suggestion.

The demons began to close in, their hands reaching for them when a new voice stopped them in their tracks.

"You are not welcome here," Annie's voice was cold.

"Another human who thinks she can order us about," one of the demons chortled and the rest laughed.

Annie stared up at the demons on her property. She spared a quick glance at Cassie and Keiko and assuring herself that they were both uninjured. Her hands tightened into fists as she contemplated the five demons, green eyes burning brightly as she met their gazes.

"You should never underestimate a human," Annie finally told them. "As I said, you are not welcome here."

"I'd like to see you try to get rid of us."

Annie smiled slightly, a dark twist of her lips. The demon took a step towards her and Annie waited, watching for the moment that the girls could escape. The next step put the demon almost on top of her, "Go girls!" Annie yelled and slammed a fist into the demons' stomach. "Get to the house and do not come out," Annie called as the demon collapsed.

Keiko and Cassie didn't blink, instantly reacting to Annie's command, as they scrambled for the house. They could hear the demons roaring behind them but they didn't stop until the door slammed behind them.

Annie flicked a quick glance at the house. The sound of the door closing brought a smile of satisfaction to her face, she concentrated and a shield dropped down around the house. Nothing was going to get into the house without an invitation.

A fist slammed into her cheek and Annie flew through the air. Distantly she could hear Cassie screaming from the house, but Annie had already twisted around and landed easily on her feet. A hand came up and brushed at her mouth, she smiled at the sight of the blood on her hand.

"Oh goodey," she murmured. "You are definitely going to be fun to kill." With that she reached for a power that she hadn't had to use since Justin's death.

Lightening struck the ground in front of the demons and they paused, blinded. Annie smiled grimly, her hand tightening around the golden staff in her hand. She spun the staff easily, twirling it around her body, losing herself in the motions. Annie knew that if she looked into the mirror, she would find her body encased in white armor.

A demon charged and Annie brought the staff around to meet the attack. Lightening once again struck, slamming into the demon. The demon exploded in an instant and Annie swept the carcass out of her way without blinking. Her gaze fixed on the other four demons.

Her staff twirled through the air, shining brilliantly in the moonlight as Annie moved forward slowly. Her lips were twisted into a smile, "who's next?"

Silence met her question. Then with a roar all of the demons charged at once. Annie took a deep breath and stepped into their attack, the staff swirled around her, striking the demons. She didn't allow herself to think about what she was doing, weaving a dance of death into the air. A fist struck the ground in front of her and Annie paused for a moment, her staff slamming onto the fist. The sound of the bones cracking filled the air and the demon roared in pain, jerking away from her.

She followed it back and her staff spun easily above her head. The wind began to rush around her, lifting her up easily. Her hands tightened around the staff, feeling the warmth of the power pulsing through it. When it began to burn her hands, Annie swung the staff at the demons' head. The blow landed with a loud thunk, the demons' head knocked in the opposite direction from the force of the blow. The side of its head collapsing inward and blood began to spurt from the wound before the body collapsed onto the ground.

Annie floated gently back to the ground, staring expressionlessly at the bodies strewn around her. She spun her staff behind her and heard the thud as it connected with the demon trying to sneak up behind her. She looked over her shoulder, her blond hair gleaming silver in the moonlight, and smiled at the demon on the ground. Her blow had shattered its kneecap and she could see the fear in its eyes.

She turned around slowly, her staff digging cruelly into the demons' skin. Another demon erupted from the darkness in front of her. Its scream echoing through the silent night, claws reaching for her flesh, wanting to render her into pieces. Annie didn't blink, the smile remaining on her face, as a shape suddenly flew out of the darkness and slammed into the demon in front of her.

Several smaller shapes leaped from the larger shapes' back and landed on the ground in front of her. To her left, Annie knew that the talons of the large bird that had flown past her were tearing the demon apart. However, her concentration was on the figures that had appeared in front of her.

Four boys, all looking rather young and innocent and yet there was a power surrounding all of them. She took in the weapons that they were holding; a rose whip, a blade and a spirit energy sword. The last young man didn't have a weapon in his hand, but his finger was pointed at the demon lying on the ground in front of her.

"Don't touch Keiko," the boy gritted out and then, "Spirit Gun!" A flash of light, a huge explosion and when the smoke cleared the demon was dead.

Annie glanced over at the bird creature and felt a grim satisfaction as the bird ripped the demons' eye out of its socket. The bird was perched like a huge bird of prey over its kill, black wings outstretched and red eyes gleaming in the darkness. She smiled at the bird and received a nod in response. She turned back to the boys and smiled at them.

"Hello boys, welcome to the US."

**A/N: **I know that this one was a really quick update. Two chapters in a matter of days. But this chapter just flowed from my fingers,taking on a life of its own. I hope that this one is better than my last one. Enjoy and let me know what you think of it. Kisses and hugs.


	12. The Showdown

**_Title:_**Keiko's Revenge

**_Author:_**Bradybunch4529

**_Summary: _**Keiko overhears a conversation between the gang that causes her to leave everything behind.

**_Disclaimers:_** Yu Yu Hakusho and everything related is not mine.

**_Rating: _**PG-13

**_Pairings:_** Keiko/Yusuke Botan/Koenma Kurama/OC

**Reviewers:**

**Sakura:**It does huh? I'll have to double check. That is a cute premise in your reviewer; I'll have to keep it in mind. I may try it in another story.

**Alaskantiger:**Enma is definitely an idiot! You'll love what Annie is going to do to him.

**AnnechanB:**Nope, he doesn't have to scream. I just thought that it fit that section. Sorry about that I fixed it.

**Donamarine:**I know you said it was okay but you are on my author alert list and it's been skipping people lately. No that is not all that Annie is going to do to the boys, but I thought it was a brilliant stopping point. I'm thrilled you got goosebumps. Just to warn you, this chapter is going to get fluffy. Hopefully you'll still like it. As for Yusuke/Keiko, you can never tell.

**Kenshinlover2002:**I'm ecstatic you enjoyed it. It is never smart to underestimate the girls, especially not someone like Annie. As for using Puu earlier, you know Yusuke, half the stuff he does he doesn't realize he can. :P A for Keiko, I think she is going to surprise everyone.

**Apathetic Empath: **Now that is a review! Wheew! You are right about the talks between the two, but it didn't seem to fit that chapter. I'm figuring that Cassie is going to be in the dark for awhile. I might do a flashback here though. As for Kurama, who knows? My opinion keeps changing. I just haven't decided. I'll have to see how Cassie interacts with everyone. Isn't Yusuke so cute in demon form? It so works on him! I really love how Keiko is the only one who figures it out! The way those two interact always makes me smile. Anyways, I'm hoping that Keiko/Yusuke lives up to expectations, but you never know. I hope that this chapter is better. Make sure you let me know what you think!

**Blackfphoenix:**I'm glad that you enjoyed the US psychic thing. Your enjoyment is my ultimate pleasure.

**Kuramalover21:**I'm glad that you are back! Cool huh? Awesome writer? You are definitely turning my head. I hope that you enjoy this one as much as the last one.

**SilverEyesBright:**I'm thankful that the chapter met your expectations. You should definitely post your stories. It's always good to take a risk. I did and I'm enjoying myself immensely.

**Rose Angelz: **I know! I miss have of my stories that way! So annoying! I'm glad that it met your expectations though. I'll double check on his name, but I would have sworn I got it from the manga. Thanks again!

**Escpthesdw835: **Sick huh? That is definitely rough. I hope you are feeling better. Glad you enjoyed it.

**Saki( ): **Me too. But that is the way it worked out. The fight and the hello boys were pure magic. I hope that this chapter meets your expectations.

Chapter 12: The Showdown

Keiko and Cassie watched the fight from the safety of the house. When the door had slammed closed behind them, the realization that Annie was still out there had shot through both of them. The girls had shared a quick look at each other, before racing back to the door, determined to go down together. The door had refused to open, even when they tried throwing themselves at it together.

Keiko had caught Cassie's arm, pulling her around to the sliding glass door and both girls had came to a stunned halt as Annie had taken that first blow. Cassie's screams rang through the house as she dropped to her knees, her green eyes filling with tears, convinced her mother was dead. Keiko had watched in horror, trying to understand why this was happening. Her brown eyes remained locked on Annie's figure as she flew through the air, disbelief filling her eyes as she watched Annie catch herself.

Annie landed easily on her feet, a smile on her face as she stared at the demons in front of her. Cassie's hand grabbed for Keiko as Annie spoke, watching as her mother waved her hand in an obvious invitation at the demons. Keiko had returned the pressure but didn't look away from Annie, in that instant Keiko could see Yusuke standing before all of his challengers and smiling.

Suddenly lightening struck the demon racing towards Annie. The girls flinched away from the light, eyes watering and spots floating in their vision. When they could finally see again, the demon was dead in front of Annie and she was holding a golden staff in her hand.

"What in the world?" Cassie breathed as she stared at her mother. "Do you have any idea what is going on?"

"Yes," Keiko admitted as she continued to stare out at Annie.

"Well," Cassie demanded when Keiko didn't say anything else.

"I think they are after me," Keiko finally admitted. Her brown eyes watching as Annie fought the demons. Her movements were graceful and her power crackled in the air around her. More and more Keiko was reminded of Yusuke, but at the same time this woman seemed so much more in control than Yusuke did.

"Why are they after you?" Cassie demanded.

"Yusuke."

Cassie was about to demand a better an answer when a flash of memory came to her. It had been a week after Keiko's arrival and the girls had been in bed.

Flashback

_Cassie shifted in bed, a low sound floating over to her ears. Her eyes blinked open, blurry with sleep as she tried to figure out where the noise was coming from. Silence met her ears and she waited to see if the sound would be repeated. When several minutes passed with nothing, Cassie pulled her comforter up under her ears and snuggled into her pillow._

_Her eyes were just beginning to drift closed when the sound was repeated. This time there was no mistaking what it was. A sob. Cassie peered through the darkness over at Keiko, and could just make out the tears glistening on her cheeks. Even as Cassie watched, Keiko's lips opened and a name slipped from between them._

"_Yusuke."_

_Cassie stared at Keiko for a long moment, tempted to wake the girl up and comfort her but something held Cassie back. Keiko had never mentioned any guys or friends since her arrival. Even when Cassie had asked Keiko if the gang was too much for her, Keiko had only shrugged and told her it was a nice change. _

_Cassie had taken that to mean that Keiko didn't have many friends. Which had seemed strange to the young woman, after all Keiko was likeable and an absolute joy. Now in the darkness, Cassie understood that there was someone. And that someone had hurt Keiko bad enough that she had escaped across an ocean to get away from it._

_As more tears flowed down Keiko's cheeks, Cassie turned away. Now wasn't the time to ask. _

End Flashback

Cassie's attention was drawn back to the fight when Keiko suddenly gasped. A dark shape had slammed into a demon jumping at her mom. Cassie blinked and now there were four shapes suddenly standing in front of her mom and she could feel the fear beginning to claw up her spine. She wondered if they were going to kill her mom but Keiko smiled and patted her hand.

"The guys are here," Keiko announced calmly.

"Guys? What guys?" Cassie cried but Keiko was already turning away. A brilliant flash of light jerked her attention back outside. Nothing was left of the demon that her mom had been standing on but a smoking hole. Cassie gaped at the sight before turning and hurrying after Keiko.

Keiko moved through the house quickly, determined to get between the boys and Annie. She wasn't going to take the risk that Annie might attack because Yusuke, Hiei and Kurama were demons. Nor was she discounting the possibility that the boys might attack Annie simply because they didn't know who or what she was.

Keiko reached the backdoor and this time it opened when she twisted the knob. A small smile touched her lips as she stepped outside and got a good look at the boys faces. They were all staring at Annie with stunned disbelief on their faces as Annie smiled at them. A shriek made her look away from the group just as a Puu rushed towards her.

Keiko couldn't stop the delighted laugh that escaped as she held her arms out to the Spirit beast. Puu was glowing as he rushed towards her, his black feathers giving way to his natural blue color. By the time he made it to her, he was the little blue ball, snuggling close to her. He hooted softly, crooning to her, as he tried to get closer and his beak pressed gently against her cheek.

Keiko closed her eyes and breathed in Puu. He was so familiar and so dear, the tension that had been building since she had left, eased a little at having Puu back. As his hoots continued to sound in her ear, everything else faded away. The wind suddenly whispered against her cheek and her brown eyes opened to meet black eyes with fire burning in them.

Her hand rose and brushed gently against his cheek, smiling at him. "Hello Hiei."

"Keiko," Hiei responded coolly, his eyes tracing her features to assure himself that she was not injured.

"Come for the fight?" Keiko asked softly, her eyes remaining locked on his figure.

"Hn."

Keiko smiled, stepping forward and pressing a kiss to his cheek, "thanks for coming."

Keiko blinked and Hiei was gone. In his place was Yusuke,his long, black hair curling around his face and his light hazel eyes darkened with rage. His eyes flashed golden at her before his hands wrapped around her shoulders and jerked her towards him.

"Yusuke, what are you…." Keiko's voice was sharp with demand that got lost in Yusuke's mouth. His mouth moved firmly over hers, his tongue dipping inside hers even as his hands pulled her closer. Keiko's eyes fluttered closed, her hands resting against Yusuke's chest, as she lost herself in his kiss.

Then Yusuke shoved her away from him and growled, "You are mine Keiko Yukimara."

Keiko eyes snapped open and she glared at Yusuke, her mouth opened to argue only to shut it again. Yusuke was currently flying across the yard, Hiei's blow sending him crashing into the trees. She sighed slightly, brown eyes resigned as she watched the two of them fight. It was way too familiar a sight.

"Hey Keiko," Kuwabara called as he lumbered towards her. He was smiling brightly at her and waving.

"Hello Kuwbara," Keiko responded, turning away from the fight. "How are you?"

"I'm doin' great! You should have seen it, Urameshi opened a portal and we just jumped right over here!" Kuwabara told her breathlessly, as he slid to a stop in front of her.

"A portal?" Keiko questioned, not sure if she had understood him correctly. Her eyes switched over to Kurama, waiting for him to confirm or deny the claim.

"Indeed," Kurama agreed, his green eyes smiling down at her. "How are you Keiko?"

"Hmm. I'm good. I've been very busy lately," Keiko smiled at him. "But what are you doing here?"

"Junior found out that his father had sent demons over to get you. Yusuke was determined that wasn't going to happen. So here we are," Kurama explained. He winced slightly when a crash sounded from behind him. "Hiei and Yusuke have been a little edgy lately."

"I can tell," Keiko agreed. "But I'm perfectly safe. You can collect them and go home," Keiko told him firmly, arms crossing over her chest.

"But Keiko," Kuwabara whined. "We just got here and Urameshi has been quite upset without you."

Keiko shook her head and looked over at Yusuke and Hiei. The stand of trees closest to the house was on fire. Keiko started to go over there and to put a stop to the fight, when suddenly she couldn't move. Her eyes were trained on Annie and she could hear Kurama's suddenly indrawn breath.

Annie was standing in the middle of the clearing, the wind whipping around her. Her long blond hair floated out away from her, and a golden glow was slowly enveloping her. Her head was tilted back, her eyes closed as the wind began to pick up. Soon it was howling its fury as it wrapped around her. The light was growing and soon they had to turn away from her, the light blinding them.

Then just as suddenly, the light was gone and they could see Annie again. Only it didn't look like her, Keiko's head tilted as she watched the woman. Her hair was silver and reached the ground, her body glowed whitely and it took a minute for Keiko to realize that the woman was wearing armor. It shimmered and sparkled in the pale moonlight, conforming to every inch of the woman's body.

A silver cape hung from her shoulders and it swirled around her legs as she began to move towards the fire. The golden staff seemed to be pulsing in the woman's hand as she pointed it at the fire. Instantly, the fire was out and there was no evidence that there had ever been one. The woman turned and pointed the staff at the boys, who were still fighting.

As Keiko watched the boys suddenly seemed to freeze. The woman gestured and the two boys disappeared and reappeared right in front of Keiko. Keiko sucked in a startled breath and took an involuntarily step back. Her eyes flew back to the woman slowly advancing on them. Keiko still couldn't get a look at the woman's face and her muscles tightened.

"Momma," Cassie cried and ran past Keiko.

Keiko tried to catch her but Cassie managed to twist by Keiko and throw herself at the woman heading for them. To Keiko's surprise the woman folded Cassie into her arms and pulled her close. The golden staff disappeared and a bracelet suddenly appeared, wrapping itself up the woman's arm. Keiko's breath caught when she recognized the bracelet.

Keiko had just seen it for the first time tonight. When she had asked about Annie had simply smiled and told her that it was something that Annie hardly wore anymore. It hadn't been necessary, Annie had told her with a bright smile. Keiko had shrugged, ignoring the voice that told her there was something Annie was hiding. Now, watching Annie holding onto Cassie, she realized that there were things better left unsaid.

"Momma, momma," Cassie sob as she pressed herself closer to Annie. Her hands wrapping tightly around Annie's neck.

"Shh, baby girl," Annie whispered. "Everything is good. You need to calm down. Relax," Annie soothed, her voice taking on a hypnotic quality. "Sleep. Sleep."

Cassie could feel her eyes starting to droop and fought it. Her memories were beginning to blur, the fight taking on a surreal quality. As Cassie dropped off to sleep, she realized that the fight was starting to drift away. _What a strange dream,_ Cassie thought as she fell asleep.

Annie caught Cassie and swung her up into her arms. Her daughters weight settled easily in her arms, just like when Cassie was a little girl. She pulled her daughter closer and enjoyed this moment. It wasn't often that she got a chance to cuddle with Cassie anymore. She ignored the group in front of her as she stepped around them and carried Cassie into the house. The door opened as she approached it and she nodded at Justin as she swept by him. Annie headed for Cassie's bedroom and placed her on the bed. Absently, she brushed her hand across Cassie's face and made sure that her memories of the night would seem like nothing more than a dream. Easily, she substituted a night spent playing cards and a surprise visit from Keiko's friends.

As she left the room, her eyes met Justin's and the understanding in those dark blue orbs almost brought her to her knees. Instead, Annie concentrated on the anger at Enma. This could have had a different ending, Cassie could have been killed. One person that Annie loved had already died at Enma hands. It was time to teach Enma a lesson, but first she needed to deal with the demons currently in her living room.

The armor faded away, leaving her in her normal street clothes. Her bare feet made no sound on the wood floor as she walked into the living room. Annie bit back a sigh when she realized that Keiko and Yusuke were arguing.

"You need to go home Yusuke," Keiko told him. Her body was tight with tension and her brown eyes glared into his hazel.

"I won't!" Yusuke protest fiercely, his hand grabbing her shoulders and pulling her closer to him.

"Stop it Yusuke!" Keiko stated furiously, her hands pushing at his chest and her shoulders shrugging, trying to dislodge his hands. "Let go!"

"NO!" Yusuke bit out, his head bending towards hers. "You don't get it, Keiko. If you are here than I am here!"

"What are you going on about now Yusuke?" Keiko sighed and then pulled away suddenly. "I heard you! You wanted me gone, so I went." Her voice broke slightly and her shoulders slumped.

"I would never," Yusuke started only to break off when Keiko's hand met his cheek. He went flying sideways, landing with a thud on top of Kuwabara.

"Do not lie to me Yusuke Urameshi," Keiko hissed, her brown hair flying around her face as she spun away from him. "I deserve better. So take yourself and your little group and stay the hell out of my life!"

Keiko bit the inside of her lip to keep from crying, blood flooded her mouth as she bit through her lip. But Keiko ignored it as she tried to get away from everyone. She refused to allow Yusuke and the others the satisfaction of crying or throwing herself in Yusuke's arms. They had already made fun of her enough. She would be damned before she would give them any more satisfaction.

Keiko moved quickly away from the group, ignoring the protest coming from behind her. Especially Yusuke's voice as he pleaded with her to stay and listen, that got interrupted by a yelp of pain from Kuwabara. Keiko almost smiled at the sound of Yusuke and Kuwabara arguing. Instead, she concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other and not crying.

She was almost out of the room, when someone caught her arm. Instinctively Keiko's hand swung around, intending to hit the person holding onto her. Instead, her hand was caught in mid air and her stunned brown eyes met calm pale green.

"I don't think so Kay," Annie told her before pulling her back into the room. "Ordinarily I would let you work this out on your own but I don't have the time." Annie tossed Keiko onto the couch and leaned down. "So you will stay right there and you will listen."

"Yes ma'am," Keiko responded instantly, shrinking back from the fire burning in those green orbs.

"As for you boys," Annie started as she grabbed first Yusuke and then Kuwabara. "You will not fight in my house." The boys hit the couch next to Keiko, shocked eyes locked on Annie's.

"Yes ma'am," The two stuttered out.

Annie smiled and looked over at Hiei and Kurama, she waved her hand at the remaining chairs. Both boys moved to take their seats, not wanting to be thrown into them. Though, Hiei tried to act like it was his idea.

"Now then," Annie started when everyone was sitting down. "You are going to tell me what I want to know or none of you are going to leave here alive." Annie smiled brightly at the group on the couch. "Now who wants to start?"

**A/N:**Well there is another chapter. I know that it took awhile, but you wouldn't believe how many time I started this chapter. I think I started it like 6 times, trying to figure out how I wanted it to go. This seemed to be the best way. Not as much interaction with Keiko and Yusuke in this chapter. Hopefully in the next.

So let me know what you think. Was it worth the wait or did I completely destroy the story? Don't hold back. Thanks so much for sticking with me.


	13. The Tempest

**_Title:_**Keiko's Revenge

**_Author:_**Bradybunch4529

**_Summary: _**Keiko overhears a conversation between the gang that causes her to leave everything behind.

**_Disclaimers:_** Yu Yu Hakusho and everything related is not mine.

**_Rating: _**PG-13

**_Pairings:_** Keiko/Yusuke Botan/Koenma Kurama/OC

**Reviewers:**

**Apathetic Empath: **sorry about that. My computer has gotten a spammer virus and half the time my emails don't get out. So I spend loads of time tracking it down and fixing it. I hope that your story is going well. I look forward to seeing it soon. Anyways, Hello again! Annie is very nifty. She does enjoy total control. The kiss was great wasn't it? I worked very hard on it. As for the fight; Hiei was getting back at Yusuke for hitting him and to protect Keiko. Sorry it was confusing to you. I hope that you like this chapter.

**Donamarine: **I'm glad that you enjoyed it! Be warned that this chapter has much fluffiness in it. I did worry that the last chapter was getting to mushy but I couldn't help it with this one. I understand completely about the grammar :P It doesn't matter how many times I read and proof, someone is always telling me my grammar stinks. And I'm bloody obsessive about it too!

**Alaskantiger:**Isn't the smile scary! I love people like that! I hope that you enjoy this chapter as much.

**Cerridwene:**Still with me I see. Sorry about it taking so long. But I ran into a complete block about how to go about it. This chapter was much easier. I hope that it meets your expectations. Don't die yet, we're almost done now!

**Escptheshdw835:**I can't believe that you're still with me. You know you've reviewed every chapter but one I think. Thank you so much. I'm thrilled you thought it was great. Should be fun to see how Yusuke gets through to Keiko. Let me know what you think.

**AnneChanB:**No I didn't! I don't think that the system likes me. Woe is me. :P But I will prevail1 And keep trying until I succeed! The possessiveness was great. But I think that Keiko's independence is the crowning glory. Let me know what you think about this chapter.

**Rose Angelz: **I certainly hope so!

**Kenshinlover2002:**Annie does, doesn't she? I'm glad you liked it. This chapter goes deeper into Yusuke and Keiko. I hope you enjoy it. Let me know if it doesn't work out.

**Green Eyed Floozy: **Now that is a cute username! Thanks for reading my story. She is scary! Isn't she great though? It is! I'll try! Thrilled you are enjoying the story. I hope this chapter was worth the wait.

**Silver Eyes Bright: **Good to see you again. I can't wait to see your story. Kiss was good wasn't it? I do love their relationship. So true to reality. I hope that everything meets your expectations. Let me know what you think.

Chapter 13: The tempest

"Come now," Annie chided gently. Her smile cold and hard, "one of you must want to tell me what I want to know."

"You're a guardian," Kurama stated quietly, his green eyes meeting hers calmly.

"You are a smart one," Annie smiled brilliantly at Kurama. "And quite right too."

"What's that?" Kuwabara demanded. His arms crossed over his chest and his dark eyes glared at Annie.

"That is…" Annie started only to have Hiei interrupt.

"A guardian is said to be the equivalent of a god. They keep the balance of the world," Hiei explained tonelessly, his eyes firmly fixed on Annie.

Annie smiled and nodded at him, "you are so right. That is exactly what I am."

"I thought that the guardians no longer spent time on earth," Kurama offered with a small smile. "Especially after the witch burning and the turning away from the mystical arts."

"Every 1,000 years one of us spends a lifetime here," Annie told them. "It doesn't matter what humans believe. That is our job."

"What in the hell are you guys talking about," Yusuke demanded. He started to get up and Keiko pulled him back down. He glared at her for a moment but subsided back onto the sofa. His hand reached out and grabbed hers, his fingers lacing through hers.

"They are sayin' that she isn't human," Kuwabara yelled at Yusuke. "Aren't you listen'?"

"Shut up Kuwabara," Yusuke shot back, his hand tightening around Keiko's. "You don't more anything than I do either!"

"Enough," Annie's voice was quiet and instantly the boys fell silent. Their eyes switched to the woman still standing in the middle of the room. "I don't have the time to stand here and listen to your petty arguments. Do you understand?'

"Yes ma'am," both boys chorused.

"Is Cassie going to be okay?" Keiko asked quietly, trying to pull her hand away from Yusuke's. He only held her hand tighter and glared out her, so she gave up. Ignoring the warmth that was flowing through her.

"She'll sleep until we come back," Annie assured Keiko. "With absolutely no memory of what happened."

"How exactly are you doing this?" Kurama asked, shifting slightly forward in his seat. "If I remember correctly, the guardians weren't supposed to have their power on this side."

"Normally you would be right," Annie agreed and crossed her hands over her chest. "But I was born into a very strong physic family. Where all children are gifted and the dead are as alive as the living." Annie shrugged slightly and smiled at the group. "As for the rest, my memories just came to me. All I was told was that it was needed."

"What about Cassie?" Keiko asked anxiously.

"Luckily enough, she doesn't seem to have any gifts at all. So she can have a relatively normal life," Annie explained with another smile at Keiko.

"Hn," Hiei offered.

"Now then, what's Enma got up his sleeve?" Annie asked again.

"We don't know," Yusuke responded, glaring at Annie. "Enma doesn't exactly talk to us right now."

"Because you're half demon," Annie responded. "I had heard that he put a contract out on you and that Keonma was on his daddy's bad boy list."

"So why are you asking us?" Yusuke demanded.

"I had hoped," Annie sighed and looked away from them. Her eyes seemed to focus inward for a moment before she blinked and looked back at them. "We are just going to have to go and ask him," Annie told them finally.

"Yusuke's trying to keep a low profile," Keiko burst out. "I won't risk him getting killed over this…" her voice trailed off and she slapped a hand over her mouth. Her eyes were huge as they looked over at Annie.

"I won't let Yusuke get hurt," Annie assured her.

"Like I care," Keiko stated and turned her head away from them. Ignoring the small smile that was spreading across Yusuke's face. "Yusuke can do whatever he wants. It's his life and I couldn't care less."

Annie just smiled at them both. She couldn't believe how stubborn Keiko was being about this. Of course, neither of the kids knew or understood about mating. She wondered who was going to explain that to them. Or even if anyone even knew what Yusuke had done. She didn't think so. After all he was new to the entire demon thing, so he might not have realized what his body had instinctively done. With a mental shake of her head, Annie refocused on the current situation.

"Then will go talk to Genkai and Koenma," Annie decided. "After all they probably have the information I want."

"It's kinda a long trip," Yusuke mocked. "How exactly do you expect to get there?"

"Same way you got here," Annie told him.

"I don't think I could do it again," Yusuke told her. "I'm not exactly sure what I did." He laughed and used his free hand to scratch his head.

"I don't need you to do it," Annie explained. "In fact your way is way to unrefined and uses way too much power."

"Hey!" Yusuke protested, sitting up rapidly. "Don't knock it! It got me here in time!"

"Yes in time to kill the demon that I had already incapacitated," Annie drawled. "What a victory for you."

Yusuke glared at Annie. There was something about her that just pushed all of his buttons. When he had arrived, Annie's power had been obvious. But sitting here in her living room, he couldn't feel a thing. It was like she was a normal person, until she had to fight. It made him nervous and he wasn't sure they could trust her. But, Yusuke looked at Keiko, she had saved Keiko. And he loved Keiko more than anything else. So for right now, he was willing to put up with Annie.

Keiko studiously avoided looking at Yusuke. She had almost convinced him to go home and then she blew it by announcing that she wouldn't let him be hurt. That was really going to convince them! She focused on Puu and couldn't help but smile when she saw that he was fast asleep. He was sitting up in the corner of the room, resting on a pillow and snoring softly. Puu reminded her of Yusuke when he was younger. Yusuke used to be able to sleep anywhere, anytime. He had fallen asleep at the table, in front of the television and on her shoulder. Some of Keiko's fondest memories were of sitting in her room, Yusuke's head on her shoulder, and his breath warming her cheek while he had slept.

A tugging on her hand brought her out of her thoughts and Keiko looked up. Yusuke was standing up and he was pulling on her hand. He was smiling down at her, his hazel eyes alight with an emotion that Keiko couldn't place.

"Come on Keiko," Yusuke pulled on her hand again. "We are going home. Annie says she needs to talk to grandma." He jerked his head towards Annie.

Keiko noticed that everyone else was already up and waiting on them, "I'm not going. I don't need to go home." Keiko tugged her hand free of Yusuke's and crossed her arm over her chest. "So why don't you just go on without me and I'll wait here with Cassie."

"No can do," Yusuke told her with a small smile on her lips. "You are coming whether you like it or not."

"I'd like to see you make me Yusuke Urameshi!" Keiko challenged with a glare.

Yusuke's eyes narrowed at the challenge. His heart began to beat rapidly in his chest and warmth was spreading through him. Deep inside a primitive part of him rejoiced at the thought of forcing his mate to bow down to him. He grinned at her, a mere barring of his teeth. Keiko just sniffed and tilted her head up, acting as if she didn't have a care in the world. It was definitely going to be fun to have Keiko admit that she was his, Yusuke decided.

He reached down, ignoring her angry protests, and hauled her to her feet. He tugged her forward even as he bent over. His shoulders hit her stomach and she collapsed over his shoulder. Yusuke stood quickly, his arm clamping across her thighs to hold her in place. Keiko's blows landed onto his back and her legs tried kicking at him. In retaliation, Yusuke slapped his free hand on her bottom.

"Enough woman," he growled and walked over to where the rest of the gang was waiting.

"Woman!" Keiko sputtered and tried to push away from him with her hands. "Did you just smack my butt Yusuke Urameshi!"

"Let's go," Yusuke ordered. He ignored Keiko's protests and glared at Annie. For a moment the light of challenge appeared in her eyes, but Annie just shrugged and turned away from Yusuke.

Annie faced the fire and took a deep calming breath. She blocked everything from her mind and concentrated on the flame deep inside herself. Everything faded away and the fire began to grow brighter. Her bracelet glowed brightly and then reacted to her call for power. The gold seemed to suddenly melt and race towards her hand, where it formed into a golden staff. Annie's eyes suddenly opened and glowed brightly, her mouth opened and a language that only she understood spilled from her lips. There was a sudden gust of wind that swirled around them and the group automatically covered their eyes. When they opened them again, they were standing in Genkai's temple.

Genkai, Koenma, Yukina and Botan stared in amazement at the group that had suddenly appeared in their midst. Genkai took another sip of her tea, ignoring the gasps from the others, and met Annie's glowing eyes. No expression crossed either woman's face for a long moment. Then Genkai nodded and Annie smiled brightly in response.

"Hello Genkai," Annie greeted with a smile. "It has been a very long time."

"That it has," Genkai responded slowly.

"Aren't you going to tell me that you missed me?" Annie pouted slightly as she dropped to her knees in front of Genkai and reached for the teapot. "It's been awhile since we got to spend any time together."

"It is good to see you," Genkai admitted after taking a long sip of tea. Genkai watched as Annie poured herself some tea, her expression cool and controlled.

"You two know each other," Yusuke burst out. He glared at both of them for a moment. "Grandma you never said you knew Annie."

"There are things that you do not need to know," Genkai replied calmly. "Besides it wouldn't have affected the outcome in anyway."

"You should listen to your elders," Annie told him. "Kay you won't some tea?"

"Sure," Keiko nodded and hurried around to sit beside Annie.

"This is a new blend," Annie observed after taking a new sip. "Have you finally broke down and started blending your own?"

"It makes it easier. Most of my old suppliers are dead," Genkai responded with a nod.  
"It would," Annie admitted. "This blend just soothes away pain. I do believe I'll have to take some home with me. You will send some with me, won't you?" Annie pouted slightly.

"Of course," Genkai agreed and finished her tea. "Shall we get to business then?"

"As you wish," Annie smiled and set her cup onto the table. She rose easily to her feet and her staff jumped into her hand. Keiko glanced up anxiously, wondering what was going to happen next. Annie brushed a hand across Keiko's head and bent to press a kiss there. "You stay here. We'll see you in a minute."

"Wait!" Keiko grabbed at Annie's hand, "what are you going to do?"

"Fight," Annie told her quietly. "Genkai won't give me anything unless I can beat her."

"But why?" Keiko cried.

"That's they way we do things," Genkai told her roughly. "Now let go Keiko."

Keiko let go and watched as Annie and Genkai headed for the door. Annie stopped and looked over her shoulder at Keiko, "use this time to clear up things with Yusuke. It could be your last chance." With that Annie followed Genkai from the temple and into the pouring rain. A roll of thunder shook the house and Keiko jumped slightly.

_Has it only been a month?_ Keiko wondered as she avoided Yusuke's eyes. _It doesn't seem like it has been that long since I decided to leave. I was so convinced that I would never be back, or at least not for a while. And yet, here I am again. Why is it so hard to get away from Yusuke Urameshi? _ Keiko didn't understand why she couldn't leave Yusuke behind. For years he had done nothing but ignore her or tease her unmercifully. And yet Keiko had never been able to just let him go. He was one of the most important things in the world to her.

Keiko glanced at him from the corner of her eye. His hands were folded across his chest and he was watching every move she made. There was something in his hazel eyes that made her breath catch in her throat. There was an intentness to them that Keiko had only seen when he was in the middle of a fight. It made her nervous, Yusuke had never looked at her that way before.

Annie's last words echoed through her head. Never had a chance to make it right? What had she meant by that? It didn't matter what Annie thought, Yusuke didn't care about her anymore. He had proven that over and over again. Keiko shrugged and looked out the window. Other than the sound of the rain and the storm no other sounds reached her ears. Perhaps while she was here she should see her parents. Yes, Keiko decided, she would do that until Annie had finished her business.

Keiko moved for the door, ignoring the others in the temple. Yusuke didn't really want to talk to her so he wouldn't try and stop her. As she stepped outside without anyone saying anything, the small kernel of hope within her died. _Guess Yusuke doesn't really care. _Keiko tilted her face to the rain and let it wash her tears away. She continued down the stairs, soaked to the skin by the time she reached the courtyard.

Keiko was so wrapped up in telling herself that it how Yusuke felt didn't matter that she never noticed the hand that appeared out of the blackness behind her. Keiko bit back a scream when the hand grabbed her arm and pulled her around. Her startled brown eyes met determined hazel ones. When she realized that it was Yusuke, her heart began to pound in her chest.

Keiko tried to pull her arm free, only to find that while Yusuke's grip was gentle there was no way to get away. His hazel eyes burned into hers and he seemed completely oblivious to the rain that was dripping down his face. He pulled her closer, ignoring her hands pushing at his chest. He tucked her against him, her head nuzzling against his neck. His arms wrapped around her back and his head settled on her shoulder, his nose buried into her hair.

"You normally yell at me when I do something wrong," Yusuke whispered into her ear. "So why didn't you this time?"

"Why would I?" Keiko asked in return, her face still buried into his neck. She took a deep breath and delighted in his familiar scent. "You made yourself perfectly clear in the conversation I overheard."

"Come on Keiko," Yusuke tossed back, his hands tightening around her again. "You know me better than that."

"I thought I did," Keiko admitted, her hands plucking at the fabric of his shirt around his waist. "I thought I knew you better than myself." A small smile touched her lips, "but I guess I was wrong."

"No you weren't," Yusuke protested. "You've always known me better than anyone else. And you've always mattered to me."

"Maybe once I did," Keiko responded quietly. "But I don't think I matter as much anymore. You're constantly going off without telling me, ignoring my questions and forgetting my existence," Keiko paused for a moment and took a deep breath. "I think I became a habit Yusuke. And neither one of us knew how to walk away." Keiko blinked back the tears burning in her eyes. She refused to cry anymore. "So I'll walk away for both of us. And you can get on with your life."

"The hell you will!" Yusuke gritted out, pulling away to look into her eyes. When she avoided them and tried to pull away, Yusuke growled beneath his breath. "Look at me Keiko. You are not, nor will you ever be a habit!"

Keiko smiled at him and patted his chest, "you don't have to lie to me Yusuke. I couldn't bear it if our relationship had come to that."

"I'm not lying!" Yusuke could feel Keiko slipping away and his heart was lodged into his throat. "You are my life and I would never do that to you."

"Ah Yusuke," Keiko sighed, "why are you doing this to me?" Keiko could feel herself losing the battled against her tears. They began to drip down her cheeks as she looked into his brown eyes. "Have I annoyed you so much that you are determined to destroy me? I get it! You don't love me and you never will! You don't have to do this! Please, just let me go!"

"No!" Yusuke's hands tightened around her arms. "Keiko you've got to listen to me! I would never do that to you." He shook her slightly, frantic to make her understand. "You know I love you. I always have!"

"It doesn't matter anymore Yusuke. If it ever did," Keiko's voice was tired and defeated.

"Oh Keiko," Yusuke sighed and pressed his forehead to hers. His dark brown eyes begged hers to listen, "I just want you to remain with me. I need you to. When you go away I'm half the man."

"What are you talking about Yusuke?" Keiko stared at Yusuke in disbelief. Was it possible that Yusuke did still care? "I don't understand."

"Home is where you are," Yusuke whispered. "As long as I knew you were waiting on me I knew that I had a place to come back to. If you leave where would I be?"

Keiko's eyes opened wide and her breath escaped her in a shuddering gasp. Did she dare to believe him? As she stared into his hazel eyes she was amazed to see tears slipping down his cheek. Her hand rose to brush the tears away, palm curling around his cheek. His hand rose and covered hers, fingers entwining with hers, before turning his face into her palm and pressing a kiss there.

"Without you, who am I?" Yusuke asked as he stared into her deep brown eyes. "Everything I am I find in your eyes. They see me, not the punk that has been beating up on kids for as long as I remember. They see the scared boy I am, not the cocky spirit detective willing to die. When I look into your eyes I am nothing more than Yusuke Urameshi. The man in love with you."

"Oh Yusuke," a sob caught in her throat and she threw herself at him. Her hands curled around his neck and she cried into his neck.

His arms wrapped around her and his eyes closed in relief. He clutched her to him and picked her up off the ground. The rain continued to pound down on them, washing away all the pain and suffering of the past few months. He tugged her head back and found her mouth with his. Their breaths mingled together, hands delving into his hair as his hands slipped under her shirt.

Mouths clung to each other, tongues delving deep into the cavern of their mouths. Keiko bit back a groan as Yusuke's hand trailed a stream of fire up her spine. Her hands clutched him closer, her mouth moving urgently against his. They parted and took in deeps breaths. Yusuke's hands stroked up Keiko's back, delighting in the feel of her against him.

Keiko's hands brushed back Yusuke's hair, enjoying the long length as it slipped through her fingers. Her hands tugged his head back and pressed a kiss to his throat. His moan caused a funny feeling deep in her stomach. Her teeth nipped against his skin, her tongued soothed the spot. Yusuke groaned again, before tugging her had back and capturing her mouth again.

"I love you Keiko," Yusuke murmured against her lips. "Never leave me again."

"I couldn't," Keiko responded. "You are my reason for living."

"And you are mine."

Annie took a deep breath, her eyes falling closed as she stood in the rain. Her chest heaved as she dragged air into her lungs. Genkai was as touch as Annie remembered. In fact Genkai had gotten some new moves in the interim since their last go around. She blocked out the sound of the rain, concentrating on what didn't belong in nature.

Her eyes popped open, her staff moving to block the blow coming straight at her face. Another instantly followed and Annie fell back a step, staff blurring as it met each attack. Genkai appeared out of the darkness, falling from the sky, an energy ball burning between her hands.

Annie jumped out of the way, arching her back and flipping to land easily in the grass. She landed on her knees, staff lying easily across her thighs. Her long hair was plastered to her head, ignoring the minor aches and pains. Genkai landed in front of her, knees bending and hand pressing into the grass. Water dripped down her face, and blood was welling from a cut on her forehead.

Annie smiled tightly at Genaki and received a grin in return. With a deep breath, both became a whirl of motion, attacking each other again. Flames swirled around Annie and the staff, her eyes burning as she brought the staff down. Genkai met the blow head on, her fist striking at Annie's chest.

Annie caught Genkai's arm, spinning slightly and kicking at Genkai's head. Genkai ducked slightly, trying to move away from Annie. Annie's staff slipped in and swept Genkai's legs out from under her. Genkai landed heavily, her head striking the hard ground. She desperately tried to roll away but found herself unable to move.

Above her, Annie stood with the staff spinning around her easily. Genkai glared up at the young lady, trying to figure out a way to win this fight. Annie's staff stopped spinning, and lightening struck the ends of it and spun around Genkai.

"Had enough?" Annie questioned calmly.

"Yes," Genaki admitted.

"Good," Annie smiled and offered a hand to Genkai. She took it and allowed Annie to pull her to her feet. "You've gotten some new moves."

"Yusuke keeps me on my toes," Genkai admitted as she gained her feet.

"He is rather amazing," Annie agreed with a smile.

"That he is," Genkai ignored the mud and headed for the temple. "I suppose you'll be wanting your answers now?"

"I figured out most of what I needed to know while we were fighting," Annie told her.

"Justin find out anything interesting?" Genkai asked without blinking.

"Just that Enma has even offered a reward to demons for either Yusuke or Keiko's head."

"He really is getting stupid," Genkai observed as she shook her head.

"That he has."

"So what are you going to do?"

"Kill him," Annie smiled down at Genkai. "Did you expect me to do anything else? Keiko lives with me now and is best friends with my daughter. I won't allow anything to harm her."

"I understand," Genkai sighed and stared up at her temple. "I had hoped that he would have learned his lesson but finding out Yusuke is half demon seems to have thrown him for a loop."

"I agree," Annie laughed ruefully. "But this time it ends. I don't have the patience for this. It is time for Enma to be reminded who is in charge."

"What are you going to do about the children?"

"I'll do my best to keep them out of it. As for Yusuke and Keiko, I'm pretty sure that they have worked out their problems." Annie nodded at the temple and Genkai looked into the darkness by the stairs.

Yusuke and Keiko were oblivious to the rain as they kissed. As they watched Yusuke pressed Keiko against the side of the temple, pausing only to yank Keiko's shirt off of her. Annie laughed as the shirt went flying over Yusuke's shoulder.

"I don't think that I'll need to worry about them following me," Annie told Genkai. "You just watch out for them and I'll go deal with Enma. Make sure they don't follow me."

"I will." Genkai paused and watched as Annie walked away from her. "Are you sure you don't want company?"

"Thank you for the offer but it would be better if you weren't involved," Annie told her with shrug. She paused and looked over her shoulder at Genkai, "in case anything happens, take care of my baby."

"Of course."

With a swirl of light and thunder, Annie was gone. Genkai stared up into the night sky and wished the girl the best. Everyone makes his or her own paths and we each must follow that to the end. But Genkai wasn't sure that letting Annie face down Enma and his personal guards by herself was for the best.

**A/N:**Well there is another chapter. I hope that it fulfills your guys hopes and dreams for reconciliation. And Annie is off on her own again, I wonder what she's going to do? Let me know what you think. Remember to review!


	14. The Beginning of the End

**_Title:_**Keiko's Revenge

**_Author:_**Bradybunch4529

**_Summary: _**Keiko overhears a conversation between the gang that causes her to leave everything behind.

**_Disclaimers:_** Yu Yu Hakusho and everything related is not mine.

**_Rating: _**PG-13

**_Pairings:_** Keiko/Yusuke Botan/Koenma Kurama/OC

**Reviewers:**

**Donamarine:**Yep the kids are back on track. I hope that it wasn't too mushy for you. The demon is definitely shining through. I know you said that it wasn't but I was still worried. That was definitely a supreme compliment coming from you. I know that you've updated but I can't find the story on FF. But don't worry I will! I think Yusuke was just trying to get through to Keiko. They are both way too stubborn. As for Annie: isn't she so cute?

**Rose Angelz: **Aren't they so cute together. They are most definitely my favorite Anime couple. We'll have to see about Annie :P

**Silver Eyes Bright: **I totally agree with no sex before marriage. Hopefully this chapter will make you feel a bit better. But the scene just seemed to work out that way. Thanks for pointing out all the mistakes I made. Sometimes I read the chapter so many times I start to see what I want rather than what is there. I'm thrilled beyond belief that you thought it was beautiful! I worried about Yusuke's plea but it seemed to fit his attitude towards Keiko.

**GreenEyedFloozy:**Major Fluffiness! Got to love it! They are way way too cute together and beyond sweet.

**Apathetic Empath: **Now that was a review! You completely blew me away again! You had me blushing and laughing at the same time. You are way too sweet to me! I understand completely about Yusuke and Keiko in the rain. I know it was a bit rough but I wanted that over perfection. I thought that it fit the two of them better than something I rewrote over and over again. The rawness just seemed to go with the story. I am sorry if you felt that it didn't work out as well. The tempest was the perfect title for lots of reasons. Especially with the emotions that were stirred up. The hand holding was a burst of genius; completely natural for the two of them. The smack was great wasn't it? I worked really hard on how to make Keiko go with him. I really wanted to convey that there was no way he was going to leave her behind this time. The habit comment was great wasn't it? Way too many stories make them seem like that only. I wanted that kick to the stomach, to make him think. As for the rain and make out scene, that was a gift from the writing god. Unbelievable hot and consuming. But it seemed to fit them both so well. With Annie, I really worried that she was going to take over. But she definitely took a step back in this chapter. Keiko and Yusuke just flowed right back to the foreground and took center stage. I'm glad that you think it is working. I'm glad that you enjoyed it the second time through. The fact that it flowed so evenly through the chapters is fantastic! That's why I wrote the story!

**Domie(): **I am really trying to do my best. But I did get that nasty flu that is going around. I spent more time praying that the room would quit spinning.

**Escptheshdw835:**It was good huh? I'm glad that you thought so! The make up was a long time coming. I'm blushing furiously. Thanks for the compliment.

**BabyBlueBlitz: **Welcome! Deform has long hair.

**Kenshinlover2002: **Back togetheragain! JOY! He's a half demon that's Enma's problem. He's been trying to kill Yusuke since he discovered that. I hope so!

**AnnechanB:**I'm thrilled that you thought so! I'm sure that Keiko will make him explain when everything starts to calm down. As for the mating; still working out the kinks.

**Silverjazz:**Definitely a compliment! I'm thrilled that the plot and the character depth came through so clearly! It was one of my fears that I wasn't going deep enough. Probably!

**Kelly( ): **I'll do my best. Writers block and wanting to over do the chapter. Plus I got sick. I hope that this was worth the wait.

Chapter 14: The beginning of the End 

Genkai turned away from the temple and disappeared into the shadows. The storm was beginning to break up, the rain slowing down with only an occasional strike of thunder and lightening. Genkai stared into the thick black clouds and knew that she wouldn't follow Annie. This was Annie's battle and the price would be high. However powerful Annie was there were many trolls and the elite guard to get through before ever facing Enma.

Genkai jumped upwards through a tree, her legs easily moving her upwards. When she finally reached the top of the tree she stared off into the distant. Just beyond the hills there was a stream of sunlight; the sun beginning to peak through the heavy clouds. Genkai settled back to wait a couple of hours. She knew that if she went into the temple now, everyone would rush after Annie and Genkai couldn't allow that. As long as she was out here they would assume that her and Annie were still fighting. While she knew she couldn't fool them forever, she was determined to buy Annie at least a couple of hours.

As she stared into the lighter clouds in the distance she sent up a small prayer. _Please let her find the peace that she is looking for. _

Yusuke couldn't look away from Keiko. She was sleeping soundly; her head turned towards him, breath warming his skin. Her brown hair was dry now and was spread across his pillow. Her breasts rose and fell easily beneath his shirt, Yusuke's hand resting on her stomach. Keiko's body was snuggled against his, her legs entwining with his beneath the cover.

Yusuke knew that a bruise was forming over one eye; he could feel the heat and the ache. But he didn't regret getting it. While Keiko hadn't been happy with the way he had torn her shirt off of her he had been. There was something primitive about his need for Keiko and he wanted to make her his in everyway. But Keiko had refused. She wasn't about to do anything when they were so young and without marriage.

Yusuke couldn't help but agree. He wanted Keiko tied to him in everyway there was. From a ring on her finger to a mark that would show everyone she was his and he was hers. Yusuke wasn't sure why this was so important but a part of him demanded that he mark her. So far he had managed to refrain himself. Mostly because he knew that Keiko would beat him into next Tuesday if he didn't.

A roll of thunder brought Yusuke's head up. He wondered how the fight between Genkai and Annie was going. Neither one had returned since they had disappeared in the shadows hours ago. A frown touched Yusuke's face. Now that he thought about it, it had been too long. One of them should have come back. They weren't fighting to the death or anything like that so it should have ended. So why hadn't they returned?

Yusuke almost got up, almost went looking for them but Keiko suddenly stirred. He turned brilliant hazel eyes to her and fell into her sleepy chocolate ones. There was a contentment there he had never seen before. His hand wrapped around her, pulling her closer. His head dipped down and captured her lips. Everything else could wait. Nothing was more important than the woman currently in his arms.

"They haven't come back yet," Koenma noted as he stared out into the disappearing darkness. The storm had almost cleared up and the sun was slowly beginning to spread its light across the sky.

"Perhaps it's taking longer because neither one is going for death," Botan proposed from beside Kurama.

"I don't think so," Kurama replied as he stared out into the dawn. "I think its been over for a while."

"But why wouldn't they come back to the temple?" Botan asked impatiently.

"Perhaps because Genkai doesn't want us to go charging in?" Keonma offered, shrugging his shoulders.

"Why would we?"

"Because Annie isn't going to stop here. She has to go to King Enma," Hiei told Botan gruffly. "He attacked and could have injured her daughter. If he did cause the death of Cassie's father then Annie isn't about to give him another chance."

"So you're saying that Annie went after King Enma?" Botan's voice rose anxiously and her disbelieving eyes met each of theirs. "But why wouldn't Genkai come back here?"

"Who knows?" Keonma shrugged his shoulders.

"We should go look for them," Kurama decided.

Enma sat on his throne and contemplated the storm raging outside. He knew that his attempt had failed and that Annie would not rest until she had faced him. He wondered why he had tried to attack her again. He knew better than most what could happen when Annie got upset. Of course, she hadn't always been Annie. No all those years ago she had been someone else. But then so had he.

Where had it gone wrong? What should he have done differently? When had he lost sight of what was important? She had given him the ultimate gift years ago and he had destroyed her time and time again. As lightening suddenly struck his balcony Enma knew that Annie was warning him. He knew that one of them would die before this was over.

"Your Highness," a voice called from behind him.

"Yes," Enma turned and faced the leader of his elite guard.

"The palace is under the attack!"

"I know," Enma replied and turned back towards the balcony.

"Your highness, I don't understand."

"Never mind. How many are there?"

"Just one."

"I guess she left the children at home," Enma mused.

"Your highness?"

"Nothing. Prepare for battle," Enma ordered over his shoulder and crossed his arms behind his back.

"Yes!"

"One more thing."

"Yes?" The man turned back towards King Enma.

"I want to thank you for your loyalty."

A frown crossed the man's face before he bowed deeply and silently left the room. King Enma was left alone in his throne room contemplating the mistakes a man in love would make.

It was mid day before the gang returned to the temple. They had been unable to find either Annie or Genkai. Of course Genkai knew this mountain better than anyone else and she could avoid them for days.

"Hey guys," Yusuke called. They looked up to see Yusuke standing in the doorway, one shoulder leaning against the frame. "Where is everyone?" He asked as he looked around. "I couldn't find Grandma anywhere."

"Hello Yusuke," Kurama greeted and looked over the young spirit detective. "You look better."

"Yea. I guess I do," Yusuke replied with a laugh and rubbed a hand through his hair. "Keiko and I worked everything out."

"That's great Yusuke," Kurama responded quietly. He paused for a moment wondering how to tell him that they couldn't find Genkai or Annie.

"Hey Urameshi!" Kuwabara broke in, shoving his way to the front. "Genkai and that Annie woman have gone missing!"

"What!" Yusuke straightened and grabbed Kuwabara's shirt pulling him off of his feet. "What do you mean missing?"

"They aren't here!" Kuwabara pulled on Yusuke's wrist and cursed under his breath. "Let go Urameshi! Why do you keep grabbing at my clothes?" They two continued to argue, trading insults back and forth before a movement behind Yusuke caught Kuwabara's attention.

A hand stretched out of the darkness and grabbed Yusuke by the ear, pulling him away from Kuwabara.

"Let go! Oww! Dammit that hurts!" Yusuke screamed and tried to get his ear away from the hand tugging at it.

"I don't care Yusuke," Keiko responded calmly and pulled him around. She pressed a quick kiss to his lips before letting him go. "You should listen before you start demanding answers," she continued softly. Her chocolate brown eyes warm as they met his. "Now apologize."

"I'm sorry," Yusuke replied obediently. His eyes locked on hers enjoying the love and warmth in them. It had been too long since he had seen her eyes without the sadness. "That's better," Keiko smiled at him and pressed another kiss to his lips. "Now Koenma," she started. "What is going on?"

"I wish I knew Keiko," Keonma responded his dark eyes pensive. "We can't find Annie or Genkai." He shrugged and looked at her, "could it be perfectly innocent? Yes. But do I think it is? No."

"So you think that Annie killed Genkai?" Keiko asked.

"No. We would know if either one had died," Kurama told her. "We think that Annie won and Genkai hasn't come back to give her time."

"So Annie has gone to confront King Enma by herself?"

"That's what we think."

"Well what are we going to do?"

"Wait here," Genkai's voice told her harshly.

"Genkai!" Everyone called at once, turning to look at the elderly woman.

"We have no business getting involved with this," Genkai continued. Her eyes held Keiko's. "We would cause more harm than good. Unfortunately this is between Enma and Annie."

"I can't just leave my father to die!" Keonma protested.

"I'm afraid that you is exactly what you must do," Genkai responded calmly. "Enma has brought this on himself. We have no right to interfere."

"I won't accept that!" Koenma shouted at her. "There has to be something that we can do."

"No there isn't. Some things we just have to accept," Genkai turned and looked out into the bright sunshine of the day. "I am afraid that this is out of our hands."

Annie hovered in the air above Enma's palace and idly watched as lightening struck at the elite guard. Screams filled the air as one by one the fighters fell without coming close to her. The dark cloud billowed around her, lightening surround her and thunder continued to sound in the air. A small smile touched her lips as another wave of the Elite guard rushed out to meet her.

Distantly she wondered if all of this bloodshed was going to be worth it. And then she remembered that Enma had destroyed Justin and had come after her child. No mercy would be given or offered this time. Her hand tightened around the golden staff in her hands and she took comfort in the warmth pulsing against her hand. Her eyes flashed silver as more power surged through her.

She took a deep breath and concentrated. Slowly she could feel the power beginning to build within her and around her. Her eyes fluttered closed and she began to glow. It was time to begin. _May my God forgive me for what I am going to do._

**A/N:**I bet you thought that I had quit writing huh? Nope, we are getting closer to the end and I really don't want to over do it. I know this was short but I wanted to wrap up a few things. The next chapter will probably be the last. Let me know if the wait was worth it. So hit the button and review.


	15. Pain

**_Title:_**Keiko's Revenge

**_Author:_**Bradybunch4529

**_Summary: _**Keiko overhears a conversation between the gang that causes her to leave everything behind.

**_Disclaimers:_** Yu Yu Hakusho and everything related is not mine.

**_Rating: _**PG-13

**_Pairings: _** Keiko/Yusuke Botan/Koenma Kurama/OC

_**Reviewers: **_

**_GreenEyedFloozy: _**I'm glad you enjoyed. I hope that this chapter meets your expectations. So sorry that that last chapter took so long. Hopefully this chapter will make up for it.

**_Rose Angelz: _**Did I say that? Wait and see. You can never tell anymore.

**_Apathetic Empath:_**You are definitely my most loquacious reviewer. So Again WOW! I swear that there is a Keiko/Hiei moment in here! I'm thrilled that so many details stood out in this chapter. I was worried that nothing would stand out. And the fact that so many details stick with you in the story are beyond amazing. You are definitely going to give me a complex. I was afraid that the jumping around in the last chapter wouldn't work. But I really wanted to hit everyone and start the slow build up to the climax. It always struck me how often in the series and the manga that there were Keiko/Yusuke hints. I just watched an episode where Keiko's dad reminds her how every time Yusuke is in real trouble with her, he always proposes. Or how he reacts when she's in danger or upset. Thanks for the compliment. The bed scene worked out really well. I didn't want to push them too far or too fast and that just flowed beautifully. Sleeping in his shirt is the ultimate ownership issue, I figured that it would ease something in Yusuke. Keiko's character is way too vivid and strong for me to push them that far yet. You'll see about Annie and Enma in this chapter. I promise! It's definitely going to shock a lot of people. I agree with you about Yusuke/Botan matches! Those two together scare me. Especially when in the manga and the series Botan spends her time shoving Yusuke into Keiko.

**_Silver Eyes Bright: _**I'm glad that you came around. I was really worried about upsetting you. So sorry. :Bows deeply: I just wanted to have that release of emotions. Both of them are teenagers and they did go something rather tragic. And that type of scene seemed to work out the best. It did fit the two of them. I'm glad that them sleeping in the same bed didn't upset you. And I'm thrilled that the chapter wasn't too fluffy.

I wanted the emotion without going overboard.

**_Cerridwene: _** I did wonder where you went. I'm glad that you are back and that you enjoyed the chapters. I'll do my best!

**_Kenshinlover2002:_**They are cute together aren't they? You would think so huh? I can't see Koenma standing by either. We'll just have to see.

**_Donamarine: _**That is very true. I'm glad that you finally understand! Sorry that it was so confusing. I didn't mean it to be. Don't worry about that reviewer. People are stupid that way! I had one that called me everything but a white woman once. That was kinda surprising.

Chapter 15: Pain

"Hello Enma," Annie's voice was calm and without heat as she came to a stop just inside his throne room.

"Hello Annie," Enma rumbled in return and slowly turned to face her. His dark eyes took in the blood dripping down her arms and her temple, the tumbled silver hair and the emptiness in those green eyes. "I see that my guard was not enough to stop you."

"Did you think it would?" Annie asked with her green eyes firmly fixed on his.

"Not really. But I did hope that you might hesitate more," Enma responded and took a step towards her.

Annie held her ground, watching as a man that had once been very important to her came closer. It didn't matter that the body he now wore wasn't familiar, once she had been in love with the soul behind those eyes. Her hands tightened around the staff, her only sign of emotion since walking in. Enma hesitated and come to a stop a couple feet in front of her.

"I didn't kill all of them," Annie replied. "Most but not all."

"Of course," Enma nodded and continued to watch her. "This isn't going to end well is it?"

"Probably not," Annie admitted and twisted the staff against her body, the top now pointing down, her other hand holding the end of the staff. "It depends on your explanation."

"Explanation," Enma repeated slowly, turning the phrase over in his mouth. "I don't know if I can explain Annabelle," he finally admitted into the silence of the room. "Or should I call you Ev…"

"My name is Annie now," Annie hissed at him. Her angry voice whipping across the space to him.

"I suppose you are," Enma mused. He looked out the window where lightening was still striking across the sky. "Was it so long ago?" He pondered absently.

"Long enough," Annie told him harshly. "And I did what you wanted all those years ago. I left you the child to raise, convinced that this would be the best place for him. Especially since I was getting ready to return to the earth for my rotation."

"So long ago."

"Imagine my surprise when I come back and find out that you've done this," Annie's hand waved to encompass the palace. "Tell me did you find what you were looking for?"

"No," Enma admitted. "But I did some good things."

"Maybe before you got power hungry," Annie tossed at him. She tightened her hand around the staff and continued to watch him warily. He wasn't going to take her by surprise this time.

"I needed to do something more!" Enma shot back, anger finally coloring his voice.

"More? You know the guidelines we live under!" Annie replied forcefully. "We all knew when we took this job what God wanted of us. And you deliberately went against that edict."

"God," Enma scoffed. "What does he know? When was the last time he bothered with anything happening on Earth?"

"It is not our job to judge God. We are nothing more than His servants," Annie told him. "We are observers and guardians to the planet."

"A planet where you met him!" Enma hollered back. "And God let you!"

Annie froze for a moment, her heart pounding in her chest as she tried to make sense of this new revelation. Her eyes remained locked on the dark eyes burning into hers and she felt herself falling into them. "You did this because I found Justin?" Annie whispered brokenly. "You were jealous?"

"You were mine and you went down there and found someone else!" Enma screamed at her.

"I was never yours," Annie replied shakily. "We were never in love and Justin wasn't even a factor."

"You would go back every time he was reborn for over 2,000 years," Enma accused.

"You're right I did," Annie admitted. "Because there was something in his soul that called to me. Something that made me feel whole when I was with him."

"You were supposed to feel that with me!" Enma shouted at her. "You had a son with me! You were supposed to by my love, my world, and my soulmate. Instead you fell in love with that human," he spat out.

"I can't believe this," Annie muttered. "You're telling me you went against God's edict for something so stupid Gabe? You can't be serious."

"Why not? I became powerful and a god over the land of the living," Enma returned. "Gabriel died and King Enma was born."

"You've lost it," Annie whispered. "You know that you can't continue like this. You almost killed my daughter!"

"Doesn't matter," Enma shrugged. "If she dies then you will come home." He gestured to the castle, "and you can raise our son. I know that he would love to have a mother."

"He doesn't need me," Annie told Enma, "not like Cassie does. I won't let you harm my child."

"You mean you won't let me harm his child," Enma hissed back and glared at Justin who had appeared at her shoulder. "Everything has always been about him hasn't it?"

Annie didn't say anything as Justin wrapped his arms around her waist. And just like that first time almost 2,000 years ago, Annie felt like she was coming home. Justin was the one that made the sun shine for her and always had. She found herself staring at the man she had once called a lover, the father of her son, and felt only pity.

"I'll never come back to you," Annie whispered as tears streaked down her face. "I'm sorry if you thought that was even a possibility. It's not like our relationship even lasted that long."

"It doesn't matter!" Enma shouted at her. "We're supposed to be forever and if I have to kill everyone to prove it I will."

With that he struck out at her. Annie had seconds to block the burst of energy spinning towards her. The staff moved effortlessly up to block the blow as she bent over backwards to avoid the worst of the strike. Justin moved with her easily, supporting her against his chest. Annie allowed herself to savor the embrace before rolling away from him.

Her eyes flashed silver as power accumulated within her and the staff pulsed against her palm. She ignored the tiny spasms of pain and weakness that pulled at her muscles. Annie admitted that she had underestimated how many she had to go through to get here. And several of them had gotten in several good shots before she had managed to eliminate them.

Enma struck again, anger burning brightly in his dark eyes. Annie met this one head on, staff spinning as she knocked the blow away and struck out herself. Enma's hands caught at her staff, trying to block her. The moment he touched them fire shot from the staff and he jerked back, biting back a scream as the flames tried to consume his hands. Annie didn't give him a chance to recover, instead pressing her advantage.

The golden staff caught him just under his chin and sent him flying backwards into the wall. Annie moved forward quickly, determined to keep him on the defensive. Her staff spun again and this time lightening caught Enma in the chest as he lumbered towards her. He went down again and Annie was about to slam her staff into his face when an agonized scream came from behind her.

"NOOOOO!"

Hiei watched as the gang fought with Genkai, determined to follow Annie into the Spirit World. He bit back a snort of laughter as Genkai continued to drink her tea and ignore everyone around her. A shoulder nudged against his as someone sat down beside him.

"What do you think Hiei?" Keiko's voice filled his ears and he turned to meet her chocolate eyes.

"Hnn," Hiei replied.

"Come on," Keiko's shoulder nudged him again. "You've got to have an opinion. Tell me."

"Well," Hiei's voice was hesitant but the acceptance in Keiko's eyes encouraged him. "Enma attacked her family, she can't just let that go." Hiei's eyes drifted towards Yukina before meeting Keiko's. "There are some that would do almost anything to protect the people they loved. Stupid human emotions," Hiei muttered. He was suddenly uncomfortable with the sympathy he could see in Keiko's eyes. He was a fire demon dammit, not some whimpering human. He shouldn't care about her one way or the other.

"Everyone has that person they care about," Keiko agreed easily. "And humans are rather protective when it comes to their children." Keiko smiled at him again. "You know it's not a sign of weakness to admit you care Hiei."

"Hnn." Hiei refused to make any comment and forced himself to turn away from her.

"All right," Keiko sighed. "Have it your way." She pressed a kiss to his cheek, "thanks for being my friend." She got up and walked over to Yusuke, leaving Hiei staring after her stunned.

Keiko moved across the temple, eyes focused on Yusuke as he and Kuwabara started fighting again. Warmth pulsed through her at the sight of his tumbled black hair and easy grin. She wondered how she would live without him again. But knew that she would have to. Keiko still had to finish school in the States before returning to Japan. She took another step and suddenly Yusuke's hazel eyes snapped to hers and she felt herself falling into them. A fire burned in those hazel eyes and it reached out and wrapped around her. Keiko found herself remembering what had happened in the rain.

_Keiko pulled Yusuke closer, lips moving ravenously over his. Her tongue battling with his even as her hands were sliding through his hair. Her heart pounded in her chest, warmth pooling through her as his hands settled on her hips and pulled her off of her feet and into him._

_Keiko's leg instinctively wrapped around Yusuke's hips as her back hit the stonewall. Yusuke's lips left hers and trailed down her neck. Keiko found herself moaning as his lips nipped at her neck and fire spread through her. Her head fell backwards and her chest arched into his. Yusuke muttered something against her throat before claiming her lips again. _

_Keiko fell willingly into the kiss, drowning in these new sensations. Yusuke's lips left hers and his hand moved up to her waist and his hands began to pull at her shirt. Keiko's eyes opened dazedly and she looked down at Yusuke just as he managed to yank her shirt off. Her eyes widened and she started to protest but Yusuke claimed her lips again._

_Then his mouth left hers and moved down her body again, hands grasping at her thighs as he stepped closer. Keiko arched as his mouth closed over her breast and she found herself moaning. Her hand slid through his hair, holding him against her as he suckled at her nipple. The rain was still pounding down and drenching them._

_But as Yusuke's hand slipped between her legs, Keiko's eyes popped open. "Yusuke," she moaned in protest and began to squirm against him. _

"_It's all right," Yusuke soothed as he kissed her again._

"_No," Keiko told him and pushed at his shoulders. "We can't do this."_

"_Of course we can," Yusuke assured her as he kissed her again. _

_For a moment Keiko fell into the kiss. Then she felt Yusuke's hands working at the snap of her jeans and she struggled away from the kiss. "Yusuke Urameshi! No!" _

"_Yes Keiko," Yusuke told her as he went back to the snap of her pants. _

"_No," Keiko told him as she caught his hands and her legs unwrapped from around his waist. "We are notn going to do this."_

"_Keiko," Yusuke protested as his darkened hazel eyes met hers. "You belong to me. I love you." His hand shoveled through his hair as he glared at her. _

"_What did you say?" Keiko asked as she took a step towards him and stabbed her finger into her chest. _

"_You belong to me," Yusuke repeated heatedly. "We covered this already."_

"_I belong to no man!" Keiko hissed at him, arousal slowly fading beneath a wave of anger. "So don't think that you have the right to say that."_

"_Keiko," Yusuke growled as he took a step towards her. His hands came to rest on her shoulders and pulled her against his chest. _

"_Yusuke," Keiko protested fiercely, her hands pushing against his chest. "Let me …"_

_Her words were swallowed as Yusuke's mouth slammed down on hers. She tasted anger on his lips as they ground into hers. Her lips flowered open under the onslaught and she felt herself drowning again as his tongue stroked over hers. She began to struggle again and Yusuke dragged her closer and wrapped his arms more firmly around her, stopping all movements._

_Keiko began to panic, while she knew that Yusuke wouldn't rape her, she knew that her emotions were confused right now. So Keiko did they only thing she could think of, she bit down on his tongue and slammed her foot onto the top of his._

_Yusuke jerked back and Keiko found her arms free. As Yusuke began to curse and took another step towards her, her fist shot out and caught him right in the eye. Yusuke went down with a groan, landing with a splash in a puddle. He stared up at her in amazement, one hand covering his eyes and the other bracing him in the puddle. _

_As Keiko watched the amazement drained away to be replaced by amusement. His hazel eyes began to twinkle with humor and a smile spread across his face. "I guess that's a no huh?" Yusuke asked her before he started laughing. _

_Keiko could feel her own lips beginning to twitch and then she was laughing too. Arms wrapped around her waist, bent over and laughing so hard that tears were streaming down her face. The rain was still pounding down over them as they laughed, staring at each other. Yusuke reached up and grabbed her hand, tumbling her into the puddle with him. Keiko shrieked and then laughed as Yusuke leaned over her and began to tickle her._

"_Stop! Stop! I give! Please!" Keiko gasped out between shrieks of laughter._

"_Why should I?" Yusuke asked as he stared down at her, laughter still lighting up his eyes._

_Keiko didn't speak only reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him down for a kiss. Their lips met and merged, everything slowly fading away. Yusuke's arms wrapped around her and his tongued surged between her lips. Together they lost themselves in those sensations. Slowly Keiko pulled her lips away, opening her dazed drown eyes to meet his._

"_I love you Yusuke Urameshi," she whispered._

"_I love you too Keiko Yukimara," Yusuke told her as he brushed her hair back from her face. "Marry me."_

_Keiko stared up at Yusuke in shock, not believing what she had just heard. But the warmth in his hazel eyes convinced her and a smile spread across her face._

"_Yes," Keiko whispered._

_A smile spread across Yusuke's face before his lips moved to claim hers again. _

Keiko was brought out of her memories as Yusuke's arms slid around her waist. She allowed him to pull her against his chest as her arms wrapped around his neck. Her eyes fluttered close as she savored the warmth and love in his embrace. His chin came to rest on top of her head even as his arms wrapped around her more firmly.

"I want you to stay here," Yusuke whispered into her ear as he brushed a kiss across it.

"What?" Keiko demanded as her eyes popped open. Her muscles tensed automatically as she tried to pull away.

"We don't know what we are going to be walking into," Yusuke continued as he kept her close to him.

"So?" Keiko challenged as she tilted her head back to glare at him. "Annie is my friend! I am not about to just let you go off without me!"

Yusuke bit back a smile as Keiko spewed fire at him. There was something about the way her brown eyes burned and er body hummed with emotions that called to him. Her head was tilted back as she continued to argue with him, her brown hair just brushing his arm wrapped around her back. Yusuke found himself running a hand through her hair, ignoring her angry protests. His hand tangled in her hair and titled her head back even more, now he was the only thing keeping her upright and her hands grabbed at his shoulders.

Yusuke covered her mouth with his and silenced her protests. Her hand slid over his shoulders and around his neck as he tongued stroked against her lips. Slowly her lips parted and her tongue flicked against his. He bit back a moan and dragged his tongue against hers, chasing it back into her mouth. His hand tightened around her, dipping them back farther as his mouth merged with hers. Her hands began to slide into his hair, pulling him deeper into the kiss.

"Uh excuse me."

Yusuke ignored the voice and slanted his mouth across Keiko's, taking the kiss deeper.

"Yusuke. You need to stop," the voice came again. Still Yusuke did his best to ignore the interruption. "Yusuke!" The voice screamed into his ear. Instantly Yusuke spun Keiko behind him and his fist met the cheek of the person who interrupted him. Kuwabara went flying across the room and crashed through the opposite wall.

"There goes another wall," Hiei murmured as he watched Kuwabara struggle to free himself from the ruins of the wall. "Too bad the idiot has such a hard head."

"Urameshi!" Kuwabara yelled as he came back through the wall. "Why are you always hitting me!"

"Why are you always interrupting me?" Yusuke tossed back. "You are such an idiot Kuwabara."

"I am not!" Kuwabara protested as he stomped across the room towards Yusuke.

"Yes you are," Yusuke tossed back easily, hands slipping into his pockets as he rocked back on his heels.

"You need to get a room," Kuwabara tossed back as he loomed over Yusuke.

"And you need to get lost," Yusuke replied with a chuckle.

Keiko rolled her eyes and leaned back against the wall. It was going to take a while before they finished this. There was nothing those two enjoyed more than arguing with each other.

Enma used the shout to press his advantage. His foot caught Annie square in the chest and sent her flying. She crashed through the column in the center of the room. She landed with a loud thump, marble crumbling down on top of her. She shook her head and tried to make it to her feet, but a kick to the ribs sent her flying upwards.

Annie felt the breath get knocked out of her. Her eyes bulged and she almost released her grip on the staff. Instead she went with the blow, not trying to protect her ribs and tightened her grip on the staff. It pulsed easily in her hands and she hit the ceiling hard, head slamming into it was a loud smack.

Enma was already there and trying to throw another punch. But Annie was ready for him; she caught his hand and twisted. Using the staff to slam down on his arm. She heard the bone break even as Enma screamed. She released his hand and kicked in him the ribs. He went flying backwards and Annie took a second to drag in air. Distantly she was aware of other people entering the throne room, but her attention was focused on Enma.

He crashed through it, a massive hole now in the stonewall. Stone and wood rained down as Annie rushed through it. She was blindsided immediately. A fist slamming into her face and she was sent tumbling sideways. Blood began to fill her mouth and anger was beginning to burn inside her heart. She caught the next hand and punched with her free hand, forgetting that she held the staff.

The staff had already wrapped itself around her arm and hand, sensing what she was about to do. As Annie's hand connected with Enma's jaw, the staff struck out. It wrapped itself around his mouth and neck. It began to tighten and Enma's eyes bugged out.

He wrenched his hand from Annie's and began to pull at the gold encircling his neck. As Annie watched the staff began to cut into the flesh at his neck and blood began to flow. He dropped to the floor, lungs straining to take in oxygen, and hands still pulling at the staff. Annie dropped to the floor with him; eyes slightly dazed as she slumped against the collapsing stonewall.

Enma's legs began to jerk, and a gurgling sound was coming from his throat. The staff was wrapping itself even tighter around his neck and blood was now running freely. Annie watched detachedly as the staff made its way through his throat. And then it was over. Enma's head was rolling across the floor and the staff returned to her, wrapping around her wrist.

Annie stared at it for a long moment before her head dropped into her hands and she began to cry.

**A/N:**Well there is another chapter. This one is really quick I know. But it just seemed to flow perfectly. As you can see, I didn't finish it this time. So I'll say that next time will probably be the last chapter. I think? Anyways I hope you enjoyed it. And while I have your attention, a lot of my reviewers have asked what Keiko/Yusuke stories I would recommend. To that end I went digging through the site and found "A snag in love." I recommend that everyone read it. So good!


	16. Who I am

**_Title:_**Keiko's Revenge

**_Author:_**Bradybunch4529

**_Summary: _**Keiko overhears a conversation between the gang that causes her to leave everything behind.

**_Disclaimers:_** Yu Yu Hakusho and everything related is not mine.

**_Rating: _**PG-13

**_Pairings: _** Keiko/Yusuke Botan/Koenma Kurama/OC

_**Reviewers: **_

**GreenEyedFloozy**I still love your name! Glad to know it worked!

**Apathetic Empath2: **I don't mind the length! I love your point of view and thefact that you can find so much to comment on. You are one of my most honest reviewers. As for the demon Yusuke, his eyes do burn a bit brighter and a darker. Except when he looks at Keiko, then there is a softening. Did you get the two new videos out this month. When he's actually in the Demon World? Drool material there! But mostly I found that he's comfortable in his own skin. The Hiei/Keiko was just for you! There's another scene in here too, so look close! As for Annie/Enma; I was surprised at how in depth it became. And this chapter took it in a different direction than I expected. But I figured that it all fit in okay. Until the very end, I really wasn't sure if Enma would die. There were so many possibilities roaming around in my head. But it just flowed so smoothly and completely that I couldn't resist. I completely agree with you about the romance with some blood and guts. I'm glad that you enjoyed the flashback. I really wanted to portray the control that Yusuke give Keiko. Both Yusuke and Keiko have the most expressive eyes. I noticed it in the anime and in the manga. Both of the mediums use the eyes a lot to portray a lot. So I couldn't resist!

**Cerridwene:**You've become quite faithful. Thanks so much. I confused you this time didn't I? I really didn't mean too. Too many twists? Sorry about that. I really hoped that it was working out right. Keiko/Yusuke are very very cute together. There is a peace and serenity to them. They always make me smile!

**Kenshinlover2002:**Would you believe that I didn't either? It just worked out that way. And I feel bad for him too!

**AnnechanB:**Thanks! She's used to fighting with him. Sorry about the italics. I didn't write it that way, but the transferring system on site really doesn't like me! I definitely didn't think of them like that but it flowed so nicely. And 'A snag' is a great story!

**RoseAngelz:**I tried to fix it but I don't think it worked. So sorry. This site and I don't get along on some of the transferring. It seems to like italics. Yes his mother. Surprising isn't it? I know I was. She left because it was time for her to do her earth rotation. As for the tears, wait and see.

**Cherry-Lipz09:**So glad you are enjoying. And Welcome! I'll pass on your suggestions.

**Alaskantiger: **I'm glad that the fight worked out. I really thought that I left it hanging. It was very very vivid.

**Time and Fate: **Thanks so much:bows deeply: I'm glad that you enjoyed!

**Animefan103( ): **such a compliment! I am honored that you would consider me in the same class as Donamarine. She is one of my favorite writers. Glad you enjoyed the chapter. I hope this chapter is as good. They are my favorite pair too!

**SilverEyesBright:**It was sad. I did in my story but it didn't quite crossover properly. I really don't think that the document manager likes me. Ah well, I'll keep trying.

**Heaven'sgirl:**Thanks so much!

**Chapter 16: Who I am **

Their first glimpse of the castle left them stunned. Yusuke drew up short and stared in amazement at the crumbling walls. There were gaping holes and bodies strewn around the entrance. Smoke rose from around a collapsed wall and blood was spattered across the doors.

"Oh Kami," Botan whispered as she stared at the destruction.

"I believe that Genkai was correct in her assessment," Kurama commented as he approached the doors.

"Which one?" Yusuke asked as stayed just in front of Keiko, eyes skimming the shadows for any possible threats.

"The one where we would be in the way," Kurama reminded him as he stepped over the body of a fallen guard.

"I can see why," Kuwabara told them. "She destroyed this place."

"Indeed," Kurama replied as he avoided a pile of stones.

"So where do you think they are?" Keiko asked. She kept a hand wrapped around the back of Yusuke's shirt and tried to ignore the spatter of blood and the bodies.

"It's possible that Father used the escape route," Koenma replied as he avoided debris.

"Anyway to check?" Yusuke asked.

"Of course," Koenma started only to stop when a crash interrupted him.

The floors shook around them and walls tumbled around them. Yusuke punched the rock that fell towards him. It shattered and fell to the ground in front of him. Keiko sighed and relaxed her grip on his shirt. He turned and smiled at her. She returned it before Yusuke turned back to look at Koenma.

"That sounded like it came from the throne room," Yusuke commented.

"It did," Koenma nodded and began to run towards the throne room.

"Wait! We should be careful," Kurama called after him. Koenma didn't appear to hear them as he disappeared into the darkness.

"I suppose we should go after him," Yusuke sighed.

"Probably a good idea," Kurama agreed.

Yusuke swept Keiko into his arms and ran after Koenma. Kurama, Kuwabara and Hiei fell in behind him. Keiko wrapped her arms around Yusuke's neck and ignored the walls speeding by. As they rounded the corner, Koenma was just pulling open the doors.

"Koenma," Yusuke called out.

"NOOOOO!" Koenma's shout ran through the air and Annie paused. Enma used that to knock her backwards. The gang watched in horror as Enma kicked her repeatedly in the ribs and sent her flying upwards.

"We've got to do something," Keiko whispered to Yusuke as she watched Annie hit the ceiling.

"Like what?" Yusuke asked as Annie caught Enma's blow and knocked him away from her. "'Cause I am not seeing how to stop them other than getting between them."

"There has to be something," Keiko pleaded as she grasped his arm. Her nails bit into his flesh and her breath warmed his cheek.

"Keiko I just don't see how," Yusuke warned as he pulled her closer to avoid the falling debris.

Koenma's scream jerked their attention to him. Annie had just landed a blow that had sent Enma crashing through the far wall. Annie rushed after him, seemingly oblivious to their presence. As they watched her clear the wall, a hand struck her and she went flying sideways.

The gang rushed over to the wall, stumbling over the crumbling stones. Yusuke took Keiko's hand and helped her over the rumble, keeping one eye out for the battling pair. Just as they were clearing the wall, Enma dropped to the ground in front of them.

His thick hands were scrambling for the gold wrapped around his neck. In disbelief they watched as the gold band dug deeper into his skin, blood beginning to flow from his neck.

"Father!" Koenma screamed and started towards him. Kurama caught his arms and restrained him.

Gurgling noises bubbled from Enma's throat and then the gold band cut completely through his skin and his head went rolling away. Keiko gasped and hid her face in Yusuke's chest as Enma's head rolled over the floor with a rhythmic thunking sound. Yusuke held her closer and tried to comfort her. Koenma dropped to his knees and stared at his father's body in disbelief.

"This can't be happening," he mumbled to himself.

"Koenma," Kurama started and laid a hand on the young rulers body.

"No!" Koenma burst out and shoved his hand away. He scrambled over the rubble to collapse by his fathers' side. The gold band was gone, leaving only the marred flesh and the blood dripping down.

"Where's Annie?" Keiko whispered to Yusuke, her eyes looking for the woman.

"I don't…" Yusuke started only to break off when the sound of sobs reached his ears. He moved away from Keiko and to the debris pilled up along one side of the hole.

"Yusuke where are you going?" Keiko cried as Yusuke pulled away from her. She watched in confusion as he made his way to a pile of stones. "Yusuke!"

Yusuke ignored Keiko and followed the sobbing. As he stepped around the pile he was met by the site of Annie curled up on the floor, face buried in her hands and against knees. Her sobs racked her body, tears dripping from between her fingers. Yusuke watched her for a moment, unsure as to what to do. Then Keiko was beside him, shoving him to the side as she rushed to the woman's side.

"Oh Kami, are you okay Annie?" Keiko's voice was gentle and yet loud in the silence. She was kneeling in front of Annie, one hand resting on her head. Annie said nothing, only cried harder. "Annie?" Keiko's brown eyes suddenly swam with tears as Annie continued to cry.

"Did you find her?" Kurama called out.

"Yea." Yusuke called back.

Koenma was suddenly there, shoving Keiko out of his way and wrapping a hand around Annie's throat. Tears were still streaming down his face but rage was burning in his dark eyes. His hand tightened around her throat and he slowly raised her to her feet.

Annie didn't fight him; green eyes locked on Koenma's as he slowly pulled her off of her feet. Her hands hung limply at her side and tears continued to drip down her cheeks. Her feet rose up off the ground and she hung in his grasp. Yusuke was suddenly there, his hands wrapping around Koenma's.

"Let go!" Yusuke screamed at him as he tugged and tried to break Koenma's grasp.

"Koenma this is not the way," Kurama spoke calmly as his hands joined Yusuke's.

"Stop please!" Keiko screamed. She was still sitting where he had tossed her.

A hand on her shoulder had Keiko looking up in surprise. Hiei's black eyes burned into hers and Keiko began to calm at the look in his eyes. He nodded once and then was gone. Keiko turned her eyes back to Annie. Kuwabara had joined in the attempt and all of them were yelling at Koenma and trying to break his grasp.

Annie was hanging limply in his grasp, eyes still fastened on Koenma's. Her face was red and sweat soaked her hair. A flash had Keiko looking up and then the group was scattered. Hiei landed easily, sword slamming into the ground between Annie and Koenma. Annie was gasping for breath as she stared at Hiei in confusion. Hiei slowly straightened and returned his sword to its sheath.

"What are you doing?" Koenma screamed at Hiei. "How dare you interfere!"

"You're letting emotions control your judgement," Hiei replied coolly. "Killing the human is not the right action." Hiei turned away from Koenma, dismissing him as he walked over to Annie. He paused for a moment and then held out a hand.

Annie stared up at this young fire demon as he held out his hand towards her. Slowly Annie placed her hand in his and let him pull her to her feet. He nodded once and then turned away. A slight smile crossed her face before she turned to meet Koenma's eyes.

"I hate you!" Koenma hissed at her. "Don't think that because Hiei saved you this time that I will let it go."

"I don't expect you to," Annie told him as she walked over to him. "In fact I expect that you won't let me leave here alive."

"You are correct," Koenma told her coldly. "A life for a life."

Annie winced at the pain radiating through her body. Her vision was slightly blurred and her head pounded in a rhythm of its own. Blood was still dripping down her arm and her temple. Her throat was bruised from Koenma's attempt to strangle her. But she couldn't hold it against him; the pain in his eyes was terrible. She had to make him understand or at least accept what had happened.

"How could you do this?" Koenma demanded as Annie came closer.

"Because I had to," Annie replied softly as she dropped to her knees in front of him. "Your father wouldn't let it go. He was going to keep coming after my daughter."

"Why?"

"It doesn't matter," Annie shook her head. "I couldn't go back and wait for him to try it again. So I finished it."

"What gives you the right?" Koenma hissed.

"I won't let anything hurt my daughter," Annie told him. "My death will be a small price to pay for hers." She smiled at him, green eyes wet with tears and haunted. "You'll understand when you have a child or fall in love. Nothing is more important than the safety of that individual." She paused for a moment, looking over to meet Yusuke's eyes, "if you don't believe me ask Yusuke."

"That's supposed to make me feel better?" Koenma scoffed and looked away from her.

"No," Annie told him softly. "My death will do that. This is to make sure that you have the reasons and can begin to move on."

"Annie?" Keiko questioned anxiously as she took a step forward. "You can't mean to just let him kill you?"

"Yes." Annie told her simply. She looked at Keiko and smiled. "I know it will be hard for Cassie but it's better this way."

"No!" Keiko protested and took a step forward.

"I'm sorry," Annie apologized softly and waved her hand.

Everyone suddenly found themselves shoved away from Koenma and Annie. Annie was smiling gently as Koenma as he stared at her in disbelief. Keiko struck the barrier repeatedly, tears streaming down her face. Yusuke caught her arms, attempting to console her as she continued to scream in his arms.

"Now no one can interfere," Annie assured him. A wave of her hand and a sword appeared in her hand. She held it out to him, the blade held securely in her hand and ignoring Keiko's screams. "Kill me if you feel the need to."

"What are you trying to pull?" Koenma asked suspiciously. His eyes narrowed in confusion as she contemplated the woman in front of him.

"Nothing," Annie assured him. "You won't be satisfied until I'm dead." She shrugged lightly.

Koenma took the sword slowly, pulling it from her grasp. Blood welled up as it sliced through her palm as he drew it from her hand. Annie made no attempt to move her hand, ignoring the bite of pain. Annie's hands dropped into her lap as Koenam rose to stand in front of her. Her head tilted down, offering a clear view of her neck to him. Koenma grasped the sword in his hands and slowly brought it back.

As the sword came to a stop above his head, Koenma hesitated. Did he really want to kill this woman? Was his father's life worth it? A fresh wave of pain at the thought rushed over him. Yes, Koenma decided. His father's life was worth it.

The sword began its downward arch. Annie's eyes closed in preparation, waiting for the sword to slide through her skin. She could hear him grunt in effort, the sound of the air rushing around the blade. And then there was nothing.

Annie's eyes blinked open. The floor had disappeared, her head rose and she realized that she was hanging in a sea of white. Every direction showed no end, no beginning, just white. Annie sighed and got to her feet. The white was so brilliant that it was almost blinding.

"Damn show off," Annie muttered as she began to walk. As she took the first step her bracelet dropped into her hand and lengthened into a staff. It made no sound as it connected with the whiteness beneath her.

Annie continued on, her clothes changing into her white armor. The white cape swirled around her boots as she continued on. Soon the sound of feet walking on tile echoed around her. The white nothingness was shaped into a white marble pathway. A huge white castle rose up from the white mist in front of her.

The mist slowly faded away and the path and the bridge slowly appeared. The path stretched out endlessly in front of her and behind her. The path meandered over a stream in front of her before ending at a huge drawbridge. She passed the guards on either side of the path without saying anything. They made no sound, never acknowledging her presence.

She continued across the drawbridge, her steps ringing hollowly. Total silence encompassed her as she made her way through the empty corridors. Then the sounds of voices reached her ears and she rolled her eyes at the demands. She stopped in front of the door and tapped it gently with her staff. The door opened silently, swinging towards her.

A man was sitting on a chair in the center of the room. Directly in front of him demanding answers was Koenma and just behind him were the rest of the gang. Keiko looked slightly nervous as she clutched at Yusuke's hand. Hiei was watching the man carefully, one hand curved around his sword. Kuwabara was egging Koenma on and Kurama was shaking his head in disbelief.

"Welcome," the man suddenly spoke. He drowned out Koenma's demands easily as his eyes met hers.

"You interfered," Annie told him coldly as she strode forward. She ignored the way everyone jumped at the sound of her voice.

"Did you expect me to do less?" The man asked amusedly.

"You didn't have any right to," Annie shot back. "It was my problem!"

"And you were handling it so well," the man assured her.

"What in the hell is going on?" Yusuke demanded. He took a step forward and glared at the man. "And where in the hell are we?"

"You are in my home," the man replied calmly.

"And who the hell are you!" Koenma demanded.

"Enma was a stupid name," Annie said off handedly. Her arms crossed over her chest as she glared at the man. She ignored the gasps of surprise and the way everyone's head whipped towards her, "I can't figure out where you came up with it Gabriel."

"Well," Gabriel laughed and rubbed a hand through his long black hair. "It seemed like a good name at the time."

"Wait," Koenma's voice was shaky and uncertain. "Are you telling me that you're my father?"

"Yes," Gabriel told him simply. His dark eyes holding Koenma's as he continued, "there are some things that you don't know about me."

"So Annie didn't really kill you?" Keiko asked slowly.

"Well she killed the Enma identity," Gabriel explained. "It was the only way to return me to what I was."

"Because you were an idiot," Annie broke in, her eyes rolling as she met his.

"Because I was an idiot," Gabriel agreed with a smile.

"I don't understand," Keonma cried as he dropped to his knees. "I just don't understand."

"It's simple. I am a guardian and Enma was an identity I created shortly after you were born."

"Not before?"

"No." Gabriel shook his head and dropped to his knees in front of Keonma. "Your mother was a guardian too and she was getting ready to go to earth on her rotation. I was upset because she had found her soulmate. I kinda lost my head."

"Kinda?" Annie scoffed. "You went looney. Making yourself a god." She paused for a moment and narrowed her eyes. "Which reminds me what did He say?"

"He was unhappy with me. But I expected Him to be." Gabriel sighed and his eyes closed for a moment.

"And what's the punishment?" Annie pressed as she walked closer. "Human or making you take up your duties again?"

When Gabriel didn't answer, just groaned and shook his head. Annie had to laugh as she looked at his crestfallen expression. Her green eyes danced and she reached out and swiped at his head. "He's making you take up your duties again!" She paused when Gabriel groaned again. "Serves you right! Do you know how long the rest of us have been picking up the slack?"

"Too much paperwork," Gabriel muttered and glared up at her.

"And it's all yours."

"I still don't understand," Koenma broke in. His voice dazed and his eyes confused as he looked from Annie to Gabriel. "He's my father?" Koenma pointed at Gabriel.

"Yes," Gabriel answered.

"Then why would you create a different identity?"

"Because of your mother."

"You've never mentioned my mother."

"No I didn't," Gabriel sighed and reached out to touch Koenma's cheek. He smiled at the Koenma before continuing, "I was upset with your mother. I didn't want her to leave me. You see I thought that she was my soulmate and then she met a mortal."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Yusuke demanded.

"Yusuke!" Keiko chided as Gabriel sighed and looked over at them. "Hush!"

"I just want to know what's going on," Yusuke defended but feel silent when Keiko glared at him again. "Fine."

"I was hurting. And I wanted her to hurt," Gabriel admitted. He shrugged and looked at Koenma again. "So I struck back."

"And it did loads of good," Annie chided. "Have you apologized to everyone one?"  
"Yes." Gabriel looked up at Annie and then slowly stood. He towered over her, his expression sad as he reached a hand out to touch her cheek.

Annie smiled up at him, leaning into the caress. Gabriel smiled at her and bent down to press a kiss to her forehead. "I'm sorry," he told her softly.

"And I forgive you," Annie replied. Her hand rose to cup his on her cheek before reaching up and placing a kiss on his cheek. "But don't do it again."

"I won't," Gabriel promised. He paused and looked behind Annie. "And I apologize to you too Justin. I haven't been fair."

"I understand," Justin's voice was filled with compassion as he appeared behind Annie. His arms wrapped around her waist and his dark head bent to rest on hers. "I think I would have done the same thing if I had lost her."

"WAIT!" Koenma shouted and rose from the ground. "SHE'S MY MOTHER!" His voice was loud and disbelieving.

"Yes," Annie answered simply. "Kinda."

"What does kinda mean?" Kuwabara muttered. "If she's his mom, she's his mom. How can there be a kinda?"

"A very good question Kuwabara," Kurama admitted. "But I think in this case she means that while the soul is the mother Annie herself did not give birth to Koenma."

"This is getting confusing," Yusuke moaned and shook his head.

"Getting?" Keiko echoed. She blinked at Yusuke and then looked at everyone else. "I think it's been confusing since I overheard you all those months ago."

"Good point Kay," Annie told her and smiled at her. "But Kurama's right. Annie is not Koenma's mother but the soul is. Think of it as reincarnation."

"That doesn't help," Kuwabara moaned.

"That's because you're an idiot," Hiei told him sharply. "So why don't you just shut up."

"Like you understand anymore than I do," Kuwabara shouted at him. He shook his fist at Hiei. Hiei merely looked at him with a quirked eyebrow before looking away. "Don't blow me off, shorty."

"You're not worth the time," Hiei told him and walked away.

Kuwabara shook his fist and started to take a step after him. Kurama hurried over and stepped between them, and tried to calm everyone down. Kuwabara was trying to get around him, shouting insults at Hiei who only scoffed. Yusuke rolled his eyes and hurried over, joining in the confusion. Kuwabara responded by smacking him upside the head. Keiko sighed and rolled her eyes at them before walking over to where Annie was standing.

"I don't think they are ever going to change," Keiko muttered to Annie.

"Probably not," Annie agreed with a smile. "But it's how they deal with things they don't understand. Look at it like a security blanket for them."

"Strange security blanket," Keiko told her with a smile.

"Men," Annie told her and Keiko laughed in agreement.

"I still don't…" Koenma started, ignoring the fight going on behind him.

"Koenma," Keiko broke in gently and touched the young prince on his arm.

"What?" Koenma looked down at her, his eyes tortured.

"I know it doesn't make any sense right now but look at them," Keiko told him and gestured to Annie, Justin and Gabriel. "In the end Annie did they only thing she could. She was trying to free your dad."

"I know," Koenma admitted with a sigh, looking down at Keiko. He stepped closer to Keiko and shoved a hand through his hair.

"It'll get better," Keiko promised. "But right now maybe you should get to know your mom."

Keiko watched him go with a sigh. She wondered when she had started to accept things like this as normal. A shout had her looking over at the boys and she had to laugh at the sight. Kuwabara was trying to hit Hiei while Hiei dodged without even looking at Kuwabara. Yusuke was trying to stop Kuwabara and only succeeded in getting knocked off his feet. Kurama fell when Yusuke crashed into him and that in turn caught Hiei and Kuwabara slipped and fell on top of the pile.

Keiko watched as Yusuke laughed and teased his friends, fists slamming into Kuwabara's face while Hiei tossed insults at them both. It made be odd but they were her family. Keiko glanced over at Annie, Gabriel, Justin and Koenma, finding them laughing at something. Annie's hand smoothing back Koenma hair while he gazed at her with shining eyes.

Keiko couldn't help but smile. She looked up at the ceiling and said thanks to which ever deity happened to be listening before rushing over to Yusuke. She caught him by surprise, arms wrapping around his neck and her legs wrapping around his waist. He stumbled forward slightly, before catching himself. He looked over his shoulder at her and smiled at her.

She laughed at him, pressing a kiss to his cheek and watching his expression light up. She was home.

**A/N:** Well there it is. A bit odd and definitely not what I had planned. I hope that it wasn't a complete waste of time and effort. I may do a sequel, but I'm not sure yet. Remember to let me know what you think. But even if you don't, thanks for stopping by.

I also want to pass on a couple stories. Cherry-Lips09 told me about two of them "Mixed Emotions" and "Botan the Divinity of Happiness". I want to recommend "Flawless" by SilverYouko300.


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